PROF ANDRÉ WEIDEMAN
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What is your field of specialty, and could you please give a brief explanation of it?
I work in the field of scientific computing and numerical analysis. Briefly, this is about using the computer to solve mathematical problems that cannot be solved by pencil-and-paper alone. Aspects include the development of new algorithms or the improvement of existing ones in terms of speed of execution or stability against the build-up of computer roundoff error.
How would you say does your research contribute to the concept of “research for impact”?
The practical side of my research is primarily a service to other scientists and engineers. The mathematical methods and computer algorithms that I work with are aimed at solving a large class of mathematical problems that scientists and engineers must solve in their work. This includes problems arising in the modelling of fluid flow, plasma physics, astrophysics, and viscoelasticity. I would like to think that the impact of my research is to enable others to make a bigger impact in their fields.
What does attaining an A-rating mean to you professionally, and personally?
After spending all of the 2000’s as a B-rated researcher, I have to say this came as a nice surprise. It is nice to know one’s work is recognized both nationally and internationally.
What do you enjoy most about your job and what are the aspects that you find challenging?
The aha moment when you finally understand something that you tried to figure out for a while. And double joy when you realise this leads to a publishable result. Also, the satisfaction of sharing the beauty and power of mathematical machinery with students. I cannot say I found any part of my job challenging before 2020, but the demands the Covid-19 pandemic made on both research and teaching were substantial.
What is the biggest piece of advice that you would give early-career researchers and those who are aspiring to become leaders in their respective research fields?
Do your utmost not to lose the momentum of your PhD work. Get a good mentor. Aim to publish in the best journals in your field. Remember that in research, quality always trumps quantity.
What do you do for fun (apart from research!)?
I listen to music, more-or-less all genres from country to classical. Opera is a big favourite. I also watch sports on television and to counteract the tendency to turn into a couch potato I go for the occasional walk or bike ride. I also play online chess and scrabble.
JAC (André) Weideman is a Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematics at Stellenbosch University He was born in Bloemfontein and educated at the University of the Orange Free State (as it was then called). In the period 1980-1999 he occupied academic positions at the UOFS, at MIT and the University of Utah (both visiting), and at Oregon State University in the USA. At OSU he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1995 before returning to South Africa in 1999 to take up his current position.
International recognition includes election as Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2017 and an invitation as speaker in the 2019 International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) in Barcelona. National recognition includes the South African Mathematical Society’s research award, the Havenga prize, and the SU Chancellor’s medal for research, all in the last three years. Weideman serves as associate editor of the international journals Numerical Algorithms and Electronic Transactions of Numerical Analysis.