John von Neumann Prize | SIAM
 

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Major Prizes & Lectures

John von Neumann Prize

Established in 1959, the prize honors John von Neumann, a founder of modern computing. The prize is awarded annually for distinguished contributions to applied mathematics and for the effective communication of these ideas to the community.

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Prize Description


Prize Description

This prize, established in 1959, is awarded for outstanding and distinguished contributions to the field of applied mathematical sciences and for the effective communication of these ideas to the community. The recipient will receive a monetary award and will present a survey lecture at the annual meeting.


Eligibility Criteria

The prize may be awarded to any member of the scientific community who meets the general guideline of the prize description.

Winner Announcement

Congratulations to the 2023 recipient, Yousef Saad! Learn more about his accomplishments.

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Prize Details

Prize Details

Read the full prize specifications.

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Nomination Deadline Calendar

See all prizes with open calls for nominations.

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Selection Committee

Selection Committee

Chair

Sven Leyffer
Argonne National Laboratory

Members

Susanne C. Brenner
Louisiana State University
Gitta Kutyniok
University of Munich
Andrea Walther
Humboldt Universitat Berlin
C. E. Wayne
Boston University

About the Award


About the John von Neumann Prize


The John von Neumann Prize includes a $5,000 monetary prize and a certificate. A lecture is required and will be publicized in meeting announcements. SIAM will reimburse the recipient for reasonable travel expenses incurred in attending the award ceremony and giving the lecture.

Award Date

The John von Neumann Prize will next be awarded at ICIAM 2023.


Award Presentation

The prize is presented by the SIAM President at the Prizes and Awards Luncheon. The announcement of the award will appear in SIAM News, the SIAM website, and appropriate electronic media.


Award Fund

The fund was started with contributions from IBM Corporation and other organizations. It has been augmented by SIAM.

Prize History



Prize History

Citation

The 2024 John von Neumann prize is awarded to Jorge Nocedal for his fundamental work in nonlinear optimization, both in the deterministic and stochastic settings. His research comprises numerous contributions to quasi-Newton methods, interior-point methods, and the theoretical foundations of stochastic gradient methods that are pivotal to machine learning. His leadership resulted in the creation of L-BFGS-B and KNITRO, two software products that remain highly influential in a broad range of applications. He is the co-author of the distinguished textbook "Numerical Optimization", which has become a modern classic in applied mathematics.

Selection Committee

Sven Leyffer (Chair)
Sue Brenner
Gitta Kutyniok
C.E. Wayne
Andrea Walther

Citation

The 2023 John von Neumann prize is awarded to Yousef Saad for fundamental contributions to scientific computing, especially algorithms for sparse linear systems, eigenvalue problems, nonlinear equations, graph algorithms, and their applications to a wide range of problems in computational science and engineering including quantum chemistry, material science, and data science. His two outstanding monographs “Iterative Methods for Sparse Linear Systems” and “Numerical Methods for Large Eigenvalue Problems” have been highly influential on researchers and practitioners alike, and remain models of expository writing in these important areas of applied mathematics.

Selection Committee

Susanne C. Brenner (Chair)
Michele Benzi
Gitta Kutyniok
Sven Leyffer
C.E. Wayne

Citation

The 2022 John von Neumann Prize is awarded to Leah Edelstein-Keshet in recognition of her far-reaching contributions to mathematical biology. Her work on cellular biophysics as well as collective behavior of organisms has had enormous impact in deciphering biological processes. In addition, her book “Mathematical Models in Biology" is a classic that has been used by students worldwide and, in no small part, laid the foundation for interdisciplinary research in mathematics and life sciences that is flourishing today.

Selection Committee

Susanne C. Brenner (Chair)
Michele Benzi
Lisa Fauci
Greg Forest
Carol Woodward

Citation

The 2021 John von Neumann Prize is awarded to Chi-Wang Shu for fundamental contributions to the numerical solution of partial differential equations. His work on finite difference essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) methods, weighted ENO (WENO) methods, finite element discontinuous Galerkin methods, and spectral methods has had a major impact on scientific computing.

Selection Committee

Lisa J. Fauci (Chair)
Susanne C. Brenner
Qiang Du
Greg Forest
Carol Woodward

Citation

The 2020 SIAM John von Neumann Prize is awarded to Lloyd Nicholas Trefethen for his ground-breaking contributions across many areas of numerical analysis, which include his own notion of pseudospectra of non-normal operators, the Chebfun system for numerical computing with functions, and his seminal contributions to numerical approximation. He is an outstanding expositor of applied mathematics and his books are beautifully written, widely accessible, and highly original.

Selection Committee

Lisa J. Fauci (Chair)
Nicholas J. Higham
Carol Woodward
Alfio Quarteroni
Qiang Du

Citation

The 2019 John von Neumann Prize Lecture is awarded to Margaret H. Wright in recognition of her pioneering contributions to the numerical solution of optimization problems and to the exposition of the subject. Her research has deeply impacted the theory and practice of optimization. Her 1981 book “Practical Optimization” (with Philip E. Gill and Walter Murray) is one of the most influential books on the subject. Through her many leadership roles, she has inspired and encouraged countless others.

Selection Committee

Nicholas J. Higham (Chair)
Lisa J. Fauci
Carol Woodward
Ya-xiang Yuan
Alfio Quarteroni

Citation

The 2018 John von Neumann Lecture Prize is awarded to Charles F. Van Loan in recognition of his pioneering contributions to research in numerical linear algebra and to the exposition of the subject. From generalized singular value problems and structured eigenvalue problems to matrix functions, and most recently in tensor computations, he has led the way in developing theory and algorithms – with a particular view to applications in signal processing and control theory. Van Loan is a brilliant communicator, in any medium, for any audience. His book Matrix Computations, now in its fourth edition, is the canonical reference and has shaped the field and influenced the way we think about matrix computations.

Selection Committee

Nicholas Higham (Chair)
L. Pamela Cook
Ilse Ipsen
Barbara Wohlmuth
Ya-xiang Yuan

Citation

The 2017 John von Neumann Lecture prize is awarded to Bernard J. Matkowsky in recognition of his leading contributions to the methods and applications of matched asymptotics and singular perturbations. He has had a successful impact on applications to problems exhibiting resonance, the effect of noise on deterministic dynamical systems, bifurcation phenomena, and to pattern formation. He is an international leader in the mathematical theory of gaseous combustion and combustion synthesis. As an active member of SIAM and a key member of the Northwestern University Mathematics Department, he has inspired a host of excellent applied mathematicians.

Selection Committee

L. Pamela Cook (Chair)
Leslie F. Greengard
Nicholas J. Higham
Ilse Ipsen
Barbara Wohlmuth

Citation 

The 2016 John von Neumann Lecture prize is awarded to Donald E. Knuth in recognition of his transformative contributions to mathematics and computer science. He founded the field of analysis of algorithms and gave it a rigorous mathematical footing. His ongoing The Art of Computer Programming book series represents the definitive reference on algorithms and their analysis. His TeX and Metafont typesetting software has changed the face of mathematical publishing and benefited every mathematician. He is a brilliant communicator at all levels, from his research monographs to his more popular books such as Surreal Numbers and his wonderful textbook Concrete Mathematics.

Selection Committee

L. Pamela Cook (Chair)
Ingrid Daubechies
Leslie F. Greengard
Nicholas J. Higham
Ilse Ipsen


2015 Jennifer Tour Chayes

Citation

The 2015 John von Neumann Lecture prize is awarded to Jennifer Tour Chayes in recognition of her leadership in the research community, as well as her seminal contributions to the study of phase transition in both mathematical physics and the theory of computing. As co-founder, Managing Director and Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research New England and Microsoft Research New York City, she has gone on to tackle network models, social science and algorithmic game theory; through her multiple leadership roles, she continues to inspire courage and innovation in others.

Selection Committee

Irene Fonseca (Chair)
John M. Ball
Pam Cook
Ingrid Daubechies
Daniel B. Szyld


2014 Leslie F. Greengard

Citation

The 2014 John von Neumann Lecture prize is awarded to Leslie F. Greengard in recognition of his transformative contributions to computational science.Since the 1980s, when he and Rokhlin introduced the Fast Multipole Method, Greengard has shown the world the power of analysis-based algorithms for solving difficult computational problems of mathematical physics.He has changed our views of integral equations, particle simulations, spectral methods, fast Fourier transforms, and geometric complexity, inspiring students and colleagues at the Courant Institute and worldwide.

Selection Committee

Irene Fonseca (Chair)
John M. Ball
Nicholas J. Higham
George C. Papanicolaou
Nick Trefethen


2013 Stanley J. Osher

Citation

The 2013 John von Neumann Lecture is awarded to Stanley Osher in recognition of his extraordinarily influential and wide-ranging contributions to the computational sciences and engineering. Since the 1970s Stanley Osher has been a leader in developing mathematics and algorithms including essentially non-oscillatory methods for hyperbolic conservation laws, level set methods for front tracking, and l1 and TVD methods for image processing, tomography, and optimization. He has worked with an exceptionally large range of students, postdocs, and other collaborators, and his algorithms are used by scientists and engineers around the world.

Selection Committee

Nick Trefethen (Chair)
Irene Fonseca
Nicholas J. Higham
Nancy J. Kopell
George C. Papanicolaou


2012 Sir John Ball

Citation

The 2012 John von Neumann invited lecturer is Sir John Ball in recognition of his deep contributions to our understanding of the mechanics of materials via the calculus of variations and other branches of mathematical analysis, especially his pioneering work on existence theorems and constitutive models for nonlinear elasticity, cavitation in solids, irregular minimizers and material microstructure, and, more recently, defects in liquid crystals. 

Selection Committee

Nick Trefethen (Chair)
Douglas N. Arnold
Nicholas J. Higham
Nancy J. Kopell
Gunther Uhlmann


2011 Ingrid Daubechies

Selection Committee

Douglas N. Arnold (Chair)
Martin Groetschel
Nicholas J. Higham
Nick Trefethen
Gunther Uhlmann


2010 Bernd Sturmfels

Selection Committee

Douglas N. Arnold (Chair)
Martin Groetschel
David E. Keyes
Robert V. Kohn
Cleve B. Moler


2009 Franco Brezzi

Selection Committee

Cleve B. Moler (Chair)
Douglas N. Arnold
Irene Fonseca
David E. Keyes
Robert V. Kohn


2008 David I. Gottlieb

Selection Committee

Cleve B. Moler (Chair)
Irene Fonseca
Martin Golubitsky
David E. Keyes
Charles S.Peskin


2007 Nancy Kopell

Selection Committee

Martin Golubitsky (Chair)
David E. Keyes
Jerrold E. Marsden
Cleve B. Moler
Charles S. Peskin


2006 George C. Papanicolaou

Selection Committee

Martin Golubitsky (Chair)
Tony F. Chan
Lisa J. Fauci
James M. Hyman
Jerrold E. Marsden


2005 Jerrold E. Marsden

Selection Committee

Thomas A. Manteuffel (Chair)
Joseph E. Flaherty
Martin Golubitsky


2004 Alan C. Newell

Selection Committee

Thomas A. Manteuffel (Chair)
Martin Golubitsky
James M. Hyman


2003 Heinz-Otto Kreiss

Selection Committee

Thomas A. Manteuffel (Chair)
Martin Golubitsky
James M. Hyman


2002 Eric S. Lander

Selection Committee

Thomas A. Manteuffel (Chair)
Linda R. Petzold
Gilbert Strang


2001 David L. Donoho

Selection Committee

Gilbert Strang (Chair)
Thomas A. Manteuffel
Linda R. Petzold


2000 Persi W. Diaconis

Selection Committee

Gilbert Strang (Chair)
John Guckenheimer
Thomas A. Manteuffel


Earlier Years

1999 Charles S. Peskin
1998 Olga Ladyzhenskaya
1997 William (Velvel) Kahan
1996 Carl de Boor
1995 No award was made.
1994 Martin D. Kruskal
1993 No award was made.
1992 R. Tyrrell Rockafellar
1991 No award was made.
1990 Andrew J. Majda
1989 Stephen Smale
1988 Germund G. Dahlquist
1987 Richard M. Karp
1986 Jacques-Louis Lions
1985 John W. Tukey
1984 Jurgen Moser
1983 Joseph B. Keller
1982 David Slepian
1981 Garrett Birkhoff
1980 Keith Stewartson
1979 Kurt O. Friedrichs
1978 Peter Henrici
1977 Kenneth J. Arrow
1976 Rene Thom
1975 Sir James Lighthill
1974 Jule Charney
1973 No award was made.
1972 No award was made.
1971 Paul A. Samuelson
1970 James H. Wilkinson
1969 George F. Carrier
1968 Peter D. Lax
1967 Chia-Chiao Lin
1966 Eugene P. Wigner
1965 Freeman J. Dyson
1964 Solomon Lefschetz
1963 Stanislaw M. Ulam
1962 Jean Leray
1961 Mark Kac
1960 Lars Valerian Ahlfors

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