Mark J. Ablowitz earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Rochester in 1967 before completing a Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971. A career academic specializing in applied mathematics, he has maintained a long-standing professional presence at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Academic Appointments and Leadership
Ablowitz began his career as an assistant professor of mathematics at Clarkson University, where he served from 1971 to 1975 before his promotion to associate professor. He held the rank of professor at the same institution from 1976 until 1985. During his tenure at Clarkson, he took on administrative duties, serving as the Chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science starting in 1979 and acting as the Dean of Science from July 1, 1985, until his departure for Colorado. In 1989, he joined the department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder.
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His research focuses on applied mathematics, with a specific interest in nonlinear evolution equations and soliton theory. He contributed to the field through various visiting roles, including a stint in the Program in Applied Mathematics at Princeton University during 1977 and 1978. His professional standing is marked by multiple honors, including a Sloan Fellowship held between 1975 and 1977, a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984, and the Clarkson Graham Research Award in 1976. He participated in the National Academy of Sciences Symposium on Soliton Theory held in Kiev in 1979.
Scholarly Publications
Throughout his career, Ablowitz has authored and edited numerous technical texts on nonlinear systems and wave analysis. His publications include Solitons and the Inverse Scattering Transform, co-authored with H. Segur in 1981, and Topics in Soliton Theory and Exactly Solvable Nonlinear Equations from 1987. Other works include the 1991 text Solitons, Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Inverse Scattering, co-authored with P.A. Clarkson, and the 1997 volume Complex Variables: Introduction and Applications with A. S. Fokas. His later research outputs feature Discrete and Continuous Nonlinear Schrödinger Systems, published in 2004, and Nonlinear Dispersive Waves: Asymptotic Analysis and Solitons, released in 2011.
Professional Memberships
Ablowitz maintains active membership in prominent mathematical organizations. He is a member of the American Mathematical Society and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. His contributions to the discipline were formally recognized when he was named a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in 2011, followed by his appointment as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012.
Fast facts
- Born: 1945, New York City
- Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1971
- Bachelor of Science: University of Rochester, 1967
- Primary Field: Applied Mathematics
- Joined University of Colorado Boulder: 1989
- Guggenheim Fellowship: 1984
- SIAM Fellow: 2011
- AMS Fellow: 2012
Questions readers ask
Where did Mark J. Ablowitz complete his doctoral studies?
He completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971.
What subjects did Ablowitz teach at Clarkson University?
He served as a professor of mathematics and later became the Chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
Achievements
- Held posts at Clarkson University and University of Colorado Boulder
- Fields: applied mathematics
