Wollongong academic wins Australia/New Zealand mathematics award for top young researcher

Feb 27, 2004

A University of Wollongong mathematician has been awarded the J.H.Michell Medal which acknowledges him as the most outstanding new researcher in the field of applied mathematics in Australia and New Zealand.

ANZIAM, a Division of the Australian Mathematical Society, has named Dr Mark Nelson, (pictured) of UOW's School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, as this year's recipient.

To be considered for the award, a recipient must be within the equivalent of the first 10 years of their research-related career following conferral of a PhD.

Dr Nelson graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University of Leeds. He spent a year at the University of Bath where he received a Master of Science degree in Nonlinear Mathematics before returning to the University of Leeds where he was awarded a PhD in Applied Mathematics in 1994.

He went to New Zealand in 1997 as the Royal Society of London Postdoctoral Fellow where he worked both at the University of Auckland and University of Canterbury. This was followed by three years with the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.

He came to the University of Wollongong as a lecturer last year. During his overall research career, Dr Nelson has written 31 refereed papers.

His specific mathematical area of interest is in non-linear chemical dynamics. One area of research which Dr Nelson is currently working on problem solving is combustion -- including combustion of polymeric materials and spontaneous ignition of compost heaps.