Applied Mathematics professor appointed University Research Chair

Professor Sue Ann Campbell of the Applied Mathematics department has been appointed a University Research Chair (URC) in recognition of her active role and accomplishments as a researcher, educator, and contributor in the fields of mathematical biology and neuroscience.

The University of Waterloo grants campus professors URCs based on exceptional achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge. Appointees hold this prestigious title for a term of up to 7 years and may be re-appointed.

“Dr. Campbell is an extremely talented and accomplished applied mathematician,” remarked Sivabal Sivaloganathan, Chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics. “[She] is outstanding in many respects and fully deserving of a University Research Chair.”

Background and research

With a PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University and a BMath in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, Professor Campbell embodies and exceeds Waterloo’s standard of high-quality educators. Starting out at Waterloo in 1994 as an assistant professor in Applied Math, Campbell has since served for 15 years as a professor and even a 4-year term as Chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics. However, the bounds of her exemplary work and dedication go beyond the confines of campus.

Campbell’s research centres around constructing and analyzing mathematical models for biological systems. Her past work has involved applying mathematical and computational techniques in ecology and engineering, while in her current work she utilizes dynamical systems and related methods in neuroscience. Dynamical systems theory and the influence of nonlinearities and time delays on model behaviour are among the key themes of Professor Campbell’s research.

Research community involvement

As a proven influential figure in her field, Professor Campbell is frequently called upon to present in a wide variety of academic settings and impart her knowledge. Over the last 20 years, she has been invited to present at more than 70 meetings, seminars, conferences, and workshops.

I love attending conferences in interesting places and getting together with people from all over the world to talk about mathematics.

In August of 2020, she was a keynote speaker at the renowned Society for Mathematical Biology Annual Meeting, educating mathematicians and scientists on the “Modulation of Synchronization by Slowly Varying M-current.” Some additional recent presentations have been at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Annual Meeting and the Canadian Computational Neuroscience Spotlight.

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Campbell’s leading expertise also lends a hand to a number of prestigious academic journals. She sits on the editorial board for the SIAM Journal of Applied Mathematics, the Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience, and several others, and served on the Journal of Nonlinear Science editorial board for 12 years. Additionally, Professor Campbell has been Associate Editor for DCDIS - Dynamics of Continuous, Discrete, and Impulsive Systems - since 2005. Her depth of practical experience and knowledge is undoubtedly invaluable to the success of these publications.

Professor Campbell belongs to and actively participates in a number of mathematic and scientific associations, including the following: 

• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 
• Canadian Mathematical Society 
• Association for Women in Mathematics 
• Society for Mathematical Biology 
• Organization for Computational Neurosciences

She will also be taking on the role of President-Elect of the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society (CAIMS) this June.

Campbell joins Professor Bin Ma of the Cheriton School of Computer Science as University Research Chair appointees from the Faculty of Mathematics this year. She also joins the current list of Applied Mathematics URCs: Sivabal Sivaloganathan (appointed 2011), Chris Bauch (2013), Achim Kempf (2014), and Sri Namachchivaya (2019).

Congratulations Professor Campbell!