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Marsha Berger wins 2025 SIAM John von Neumann Prize
In PHILADELPHIA, PA, Marsha Berger, affiliated with New York University and the Flatiron Institute, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 John von Neumann Prize by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). This honor recognizes her significant contributions to developing adaptive mesh refinement and embedded boundary methods for partial differential equations (PDEs).
Berger's influential research in adaptive mesh refinement and embedded boundary methods has been crucial across various scientific and engineering fields, including aerodynamics, astrophysics, cosmology, plasma physics, subsurface flow, engine design, and tsunami modeling. Her work has advanced method development and theoretical stability, creating efficient software for serial and parallel supercomputing systems.
As part of the award, Berger will deliver the flagship lecture at the upcoming SIAM/CAIMS Annual Meetings 2025 (AN25), scheduled for July 28 to August 1, 2025, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. This esteemed prize is awarded annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to applied mathematics and successfully communicated these ideas to the scientific community.
In expressing her gratitude for this prestigious recognition, Berger emphasized the importance of her work being instrumental and beneficial to others. She earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1982 and has had a distinguished career as a computer science and mathematics professor at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. After retiring from NYU in 2022, she became a senior research scientist at the Center for Computational Mathematics at the Flatiron Institute.
Berger's impactful research extends beyond academia, with practical applications in weather prediction, aircraft design, and tsunami simulations for disaster management in earthquake-prone regions. Her commitment to advancing computational fluid dynamics, mainly through adaptive mesh refinement techniques, highlights the essential role of numerical tools in addressing societal challenges.
For over four decades, Berger has been an active member of SIAM, contributing significantly through her involvement in various committees and editorial boards. Her dedication to bridging the fields of computer science and mathematics has been instrumental in shaping the intersection of these disciplines and facilitating innovative advancements in computational mathematics.
Established in 1959, the John von Neumann Prize honors the legacy of John von Neumann, a prominent mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist whose pioneering work laid the foundation for modern computing. Berger's receipt of this esteemed award further solidifies her status as a leading figure in applied mathematics and computational science.
In acknowledging Berger's groundbreaking contributions, the scientific community celebrates her personal achievements and the substantial impact of her research in enhancing the understanding and application of computational methods across diverse fields. This recognition emphasizes the critical role of mathematics in addressing complex challenges in our increasingly interconnected world.