Martin Aaron Golubitsky earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970 under the supervision of Victor Guillemin. Since then, he has established a professional career centered on nonlinear dynamical systems, bifurcation theory, and chaos theory, contributing significantly to mathematics through academic leadership and extensive research publications.
Academic Foundations and Early Career
Born in Philadelphia on April 5, 1945, Golubitsky completed his undergraduate studies and master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. Following his doctoral work at MIT, he began his faculty career in 1974 at Queens College, where he served as an assistant and then associate professor until 1979. He subsequently moved to Arizona State University, holding a professorship there until 1983.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Positions at Major Institutions
Golubitsky maintained a long-standing tenure at the University of Houston from 1983 until 2008. His career includes numerous visiting appointments at international and domestic institutions, including the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Duke University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Mathematics and Applications. He has also served at the Fields Institute at the University of Waterloo, the Newton Institute, Trinity College, the University of Toronto, and as an adjunct professor at Rice University.
Research and Professional Recognition
His work often focuses on pattern formation and symmetry. He co-authored Fearful Symmetry: Is God a Geometer? with Ian Stewart in 1992 and collaborated with M. Field on Symmetry in Chaos: A Search for Pattern in Mathematics, Art, and Nature, also published in 1992. His professional service includes acting as president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics from 2005 to 2006. He served as director of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University starting in 2008, where he currently holds a distinguished professorship.
Fast facts
- Born: 1945, Philadelphia
- Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1970
- Primary research: Chaos theory and bifurcation theory
- President of SIAM: 2005-2006
- SIAM Fellow: 2009
- American Mathematical Society Fellow: 2013
Questions readers ask
What subjects does Marty Golubitsky specialize in?
He focuses on mathematics, specifically chaos theory, bifurcation theory, and nonlinear dynamical systems.
Where did Marty Golubitsky hold directorship roles?
He served as the director of the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Toronto, University of Minnesota and Rice University
- Fields: mathematics, nonlinear dynamical system and chaos theory
