Newswise — Susan Friedlander, professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science at the University of Illinois at Chicago has been appointed by the Council of the American Mathematical Society to become editor in chief of the prestigious Bulletin of the AMS.
Friedlander, a specialist in the fields of mathematical fluid dynamics and partial differential equations, is the first woman to be named editor in chief of the Bulletin, which is circulated to the 30,000 members of the AMS.
"I view being the editor in chief as an exciting challenge," said Friedlander. "The Bulletin aims to publish articles of excellent exposition and mathematical content. Because all AMS members receive the Bulletin as a privilege of membership, the editors have the responsibility to ensure that the articles are of interest to a wide mathematical audience."
Recent rankings by the Institute of Science Information put the Bulletin of the AMS on top among all journals in the mathematical sciences in terms of impact.
Jerry Bona, professor and head of mathematics, statistics and computer science at UIC, has known of Friedlander's professional work since the time she left graduate school.
"Her research is widely read and respected, and she is equally known for her organizational skills," said Bona. "Her appointment as editor in chief confirms what we at UIC have known for a long time: that she is a central figure in the American mathematical firmament."
Friedlander is presently a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, N.J., and will return to UIC in late March. Her appointment as editor takes effect July 1 and runs until 2009, renewable by mutual consent. Friedlander will assume the new duties in addition to her teaching, research and service responsibilities at UIC.
Friedlander has been a member of UIC's mathematics department since 1974. She became a full professor in 1989 and was named a University Scholar in 2003, the highest peer-nominated distinction for University of Illinois faculty. Among her many credentials and honors are the Medal of the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris and the Gauthier Villars Prize for nonlinear analysis. She has been a visiting instructor or professor at scores of the world's leading universities and academic institutes.
Friedlander has served as associate secretary of the American Mathematical Society since 1996 and is a member of the scientific advisory committee of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, Calif.
A native of England, Friedlander earned a B.Sc. in mathematics from London University, an M.S. in mathematics from MIT, and a Ph.D. in geophysical fluid dynamics from Princeton University. She resides in Wilmette, Ill. with her husband, Eric Friedlander, a professor of mathematics at Northwestern University.
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