February Prize Spotlight: Maria J. Esteban

Maria J. Esteban of Université Paris-Dauphine will be awarded the 2019 SIAM Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession at the 9th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM 2019), held July 15-19, 2019 in Valencia, Spain.

SIAM awards its Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession every year to an applied mathematician who has made distinguished contributions to the advancement of applied mathematics on the national or international level. SIAM recognizes Professor Esteban for her outstanding contributions to bringing together the mathematics communities in France, Europe and the rest of the world and helping to bridge the gaps between theoretical mathematics and applications, including applications in industry. Her distinguished service to the community includes her presidencies of the Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles (SMAI) and the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM), her chairing of the Applied Mathematics Committee of the European Mathematical Society, her role as a founder and board member of the EU-MATHS-IN European network for industrial mathematics, and her membership of numerous international committees.

Maria J. Esteban is a French mathematician of Basque origin. She is currently senior researcher at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and holds a position at Université Paris-Dauphine. She did her undergraduate studies at the University of the Basque Country, in Bilbao. She moved to France to earn her PhD and, upon achieving this in 1981 at Université Pierre et Marie Curie, she decided to stay in France. Since then she has been a researcher at CNRS, holding various positions, first in what is now called Sorbonne Université and later at the Université Paris-Dauphine. Professor Esteban has been director of CEREMADE (the applied mathematics department of Université Paris-Dauphine), president of SMAI, and co-founder of EU-MATHS-IN (European Service Network of Mathematics for Industry and Innovation). She is president of ICIAM for the 2015-2019 term. Currently she is a member of several editorial boards, and has been for many years one of the two Editors-in-Chief of the Annales of the Institut Henri Poincaré - Analyse Non Linéaire. She has been an Associate Editor of SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis and she is a Fellow of SIAM.

Q: Why are you excited to be winning the SIAM Prize for Distinguished Service?

A: It is a big honor to receive a SIAM Prize and this prize in particular. A large part of my activity in recent years has been devoted to community work, to work in associations and societies concerned with the applications of mathematics, and it is very nice to be recognized for this part of my activity. The recognition of not only my research but also of my community work makes me very happy.

Q: Could you tell us a bit about the accomplishments that won you the prize?

A: On one hand, my research work has been linked to the applications of mathematics. There is an important theoretical aspect to it, but I have also been involved in the study of fluid-solid interaction problems, and still more in the analysis of problems from quantum chemistry. My work in that area has not been entirely theoretical, but also involves developing algorithms that are efficient, stable, and rigorous.

The other part of my activity is related to my community work. I started by being involved in SMAI, the French Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics. There I occupied several positions and finally became its president in 2009-2012. After that I became actively involved in the European Mathematical Society Applied Mathematics Committee, and I chaired that in 2012-2013. I also participated in the creation of the EU-MATHS-IN Foundation, whose aim is to coordinate and stimulate activities related to the industrial applications of mathematics at the European level. Finally, in 2015 I became president of ICIAM, and I will stay there until the fall of 2019.

Q: What does your work and service mean to the public?

A: By leading organizations concerned with the applications of mathematics, I believe I serve society, since mathematics is key in most of the innovative processes that will change society in the future. I have always tried to convey this message to the general public via public lectures and publications that help people, including young students and teachers, to understand the value of mathematics. I aim to motivate the young to study science in general and mathematics in particular.

Q: What does being a SIAM member mean to you?

A: SIAM is the largest organization in applied mathematics in the world, the one with the largest number of members. Being part of it is a natural and, at the same time, a very important choice. It is an excellent source of information about the community and new research and projects. I have always been proud of being a member of SIAM. Whenever I am asked to serve on SIAM prize committees, SIAM conference program committees, or SIAM journal editorial boards, I have done that with pleasure and pride.