ICIAM Maxwell Prize
October 21, 2007
Peter Deuflhard of ZIB Berlin, honored for contributions to applied mathematics of a breadth, depth, and orginality "almost without parallel," is the 2007 recipient of the ICIAM Maxwell Prize. "His contributions to algorithm-oriented numerical analysis," according to the prize committee, "are fundamental and range from highly nonlinear algebraic systems through large-scale ordinary and partial differential equations to Markov chains. Within these fields they cover direct and inverse problems, optimization aspects, and optimal control." Characteristic of his work is the "firm, often innovative mathematical basis on which he constructs highly efficient algorithms for hard real-life problems in science and technology."
The widely ranging application areas to which Deuflhard has contributed in recent years include chemical engineering, microwave technology up through nano-optics, medicine, and biotechnology.
The efficiency of Deuflhard's algorithms typically originates from new mathematical and algorithmic concepts, including affine invariant Newton and Gauss�Newton techniques, from small nonlinear algebraic systems to adaptive multilevel finite-element methods for PDEs; extrapolation methods for ODEs; discrete Galerkin methods for countable differential equations; cascadic multigrid methods; and, most recently, Perron cluster analysis.
"Deuflhard collaborates intensively with engineers, physicians, practitioners, and scientists in many different fields." He has been central in the evolution of "modern scientific computing as a field integrating a wide range of applied mathematicians, computer and other scientists aiming at a fundamental understanding of phenomena and processes by combining mathematics and computing technology."
