However, recent advances in applied science and technology are challenging available models and paradigms developed by mathematicians and statisticians, providing a fertile ground for the discovery of new applied mathematical techniques and discoveries that have immediate applications to key modern applied scientific questions. Mathematics has always played a foundational role in establishing and exploring the theoretical and quantitative underpinnings of modern scientific discovery, often independently and years before the empirical science is established.
“As society confronts massive issues in areas of public health, climate and the economy, to name a few, mathematics and statistics will play an increasingly critical role in identifying fundamental principles governing complex behaviors, and in finding effective methods to assess and address them,” said Eric Zaslow, professor and chair of Weinberg College’s Department of Mathematics. “IMSI will be a catalyst for scientific discovery and a platform for clear communication regarding some of the great challenges of our time.” Modern, massively connected systems While enabling these applied mathematical approaches, IMSI will benefit from the institutional strengths of each of its university partners, both in the mathematical sciences as well as in the particular application areas of science, technology, economics and policy, drawing from the deep programmatic expertise of a network of centers and research groups. These interactions, which are often at very large scales, need sophisticated mathematical and statistical approaches that underpin solutions to the scientific problems. The current complex environment of science and engineering research involves a deep interaction of multiple disciplines to address scientific problems. “The founding of this Institute is an incredible opportunity to strengthen, stimulate and shape research in these areas, not just for Northwestern and the other founding members of the institute, but at the national level.” “Mathematics and statistics play a vital role in understanding the scope of current challenges and crafting solutions to address them,” said Bryna Kra, the Sarah Roland Professor of Mathematics at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and co-principal investigator on the grant. Many of these problems arise naturally in a range of fields already being studied across the four partner institutions, including climate change, health care, quantum information theory, artificial intelligence (AI), data science, economics and materials science. IMSI researchers will build a platform that accelerates the translation of applied mathematical and statistical techniques into solutions for urgent scientific and societal problems. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) also are members of the research center. Led by the University of Chicago (UChicago), the new Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI) is funded with a five-year, $15.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Northwestern University is joining three Illinois universities to create a regional research center to address key scientific and technological challenges with powerful ideas from mathematics and statistics.
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