Congratulations to Siv Sivaloganathan, professor of Applied Mathematics, on winning a prestigious Canadian Industrial & Applied Mathematics Society (CAIMS)-Fields Industrial Mathematics Prize. Sivaloganathan is the twelfth recipient of the annual award, which recognizes “exceptional research in any area of industrial mathematics conducted in Canada.”
Sivaloganathan is a leading expert in the field of Mathematical Medicine, which seeks to apply mathematical techniques and tools to solving problems in health and medicine.
Sivaloganathan was the founding director of the Center for Mathematical Medicine at the Fields Institute. He also did foundational work on mathematical models of the brain, leading to a better understanding of hydrocephalus and its treatment.
“The award is some sort of recognition,” he says, “that something I initiated many years ago – that is, the field of Mathematical Medicine in a Canadian context – has value and the potential to have real impact on the lives of Canadians.”
Sivaloganathan has been at the University of Waterloo for thirty-three years, and recently served as chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics for more than six years. “The wonderful thing about having a dedicated Faculty of Mathematics is that you have expertise over the whole spectrum of mathematics, essentially at your fingertips,” he says.
Today, he and many of his Applied Math colleagues are using mathematical medicine to better treat cancer. Sivaloganathan is currently focused on the modelling of High Intensity Focussed Ultrasound (HIFU), as well as “the plethora of phenomena that arise from its application.” HIFU, he says, “has the potential to become a most effective therapeutic modality for solid cancers, with minimal to no side effects – and it is non-invasive. These are exciting times!”
The
CAIMS
citation
noted
Sivaloganathan’s
extensive
contributions
to
the
field
of
Mathematical
Medicine
as
well
as
his
innovative
collaborations
with
clinicians
and
medical
researchers.
“Professor
Siv
Sivaloganathan
is
a
talented
and
accomplished
biomathematician,
who
has
made
Significant
contributions
in
several
areas
of
applied
mathematics,
and
is
very
clearly
a
leader
in
the
field
of
Mathematical
medicine,”
they
said.
You can read more about Sivaloganathan’s work on his website. You can read more about the Canadian Industrial & Applied Math Society on their website.