Weinan E (; born September 1963) is a Chinese
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
. He is known for his pathbreaking work in
applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathematical s ...
and
machine learning
Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence.
Machine ...
. His academic contributions include novel mathematical and computational results in
stochastic differential equations
A stochastic differential equation (SDE) is a differential equation in which one or more of the terms is a stochastic process, resulting in a solution which is also a stochastic process. SDEs are used to model various phenomena such as stock pr ...
; design of efficient algorithms to compute multiscale and multiphysics problems, particularly those arising in fluid dynamics and chemistry; and pioneering work on the application of
deep learning
Deep learning (also known as deep structured learning) is part of a broader family of machine learning methods based on artificial neural networks with representation learning. Learning can be supervised, semi-supervised or unsupervised.
De ...
techniques to
scientific computing
Computational science, also known as scientific computing or scientific computation (SC), is a field in mathematics that uses advanced computing capabilities to understand and solve complex problems. It is an area of science that spans many disc ...
. In addition, he has worked on
multiscale modeling
Multiscale modeling or multiscale mathematics is the field of solving problems which have important features at multiple scales of time and/or space. Important problems include multiscale modeling of fluids, solids, polymers, proteins, nucleic ac ...
and the study of rare events.
He has also made contributions to
homogenization theory, theoretical models of
turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between ...
, stochastic partial differential equations,
electronic structure
In quantum chemistry, electronic structure is the state of motion of electrons in an electrostatic field created by stationary nuclei. The term encompasses both the wave functions of the electrons and the energies associated with them. Electro ...
analysis, multiscale methods,
computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate th ...
, and weak
KAM theory
Kaam (Gurmukhi: ਕਾਮ ''Kāma'') in common usage, the term stands for 'excessive passion for sexual pleasure' and it is in this sense that it is considered to be an evil in Sikhism.
In Sikhism it is believed that Kaam can be overcome ...
. He is currently a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, and the Center for Machine Learning Research and the
School of Mathematical Sciences at
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
. Since 2015, he has been the inaugural director of the Beijing Institute of Big Data Research. He is an invited Plenary Speaker of International Congress of Mathematicians 2022 in St. Petersburg.
Biography
E Weinan was born in
Jingjiang
Jingjiang () is a county-level city under the administration of Taizhou, Jiangsu province, China. It is located on the northern (left) bank of the Yangtze River, and is the southernmost part of Taizhou City, bordering Nantong to the northeast, Suz ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. He completed his undergraduate studies in the Department of Mathematics at
University of Science and Technology of China
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
in 1982, and his master's degree in Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science at
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republ ...
in 1985. He obtained his Ph.D. degree under the advice of
Björn Engquist
Björn Engquist (also ''Bjorn Engquist''; born 2 June 1945 in Stockholm) has been a leading contributor in the areas of multiscale modeling and scientific computing, and a productive educator of applied mathematicians.
Life
He received his PhD ...
in the Department of Mathematics at
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
in 1989. He then became a visiting member in
Courant Institute
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (commonly known as Courant or CIMS) is the mathematics research school of New York University (NYU), and is among the most prestigious mathematics schools and mathematical sciences research cente ...
,
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
from 1989 to 1991, and a member in
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...
from 1991 to 1992. After spending two more years as a long term member in Institute for Advanced Study, he joined Courant Institute, New York University as an associate professor in 1994, and became a full professor in 1997. Since 1999, he has been holding a professorship in the Department of Mathematics and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. He currently holds a professorship at the Center for Machine Learning Research and the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University.
He has made contributions to
homogenization theory, theoretical models of
turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between ...
, stochastic partial differential equations,
electronic structure
In quantum chemistry, electronic structure is the state of motion of electrons in an electrostatic field created by stationary nuclei. The term encompasses both the wave functions of the electrons and the energies associated with them. Electro ...
analysis, multiscale methods,
computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate th ...
, and weak
KAM theory
Kaam (Gurmukhi: ਕਾਮ ''Kāma'') in common usage, the term stands for 'excessive passion for sexual pleasure' and it is in this sense that it is considered to be an evil in Sikhism.
In Sikhism it is believed that Kaam can be overcome ...
.
In the study of rare events, he and collaborators have developed the string method and transition path theory. In multiscale modeling, he and collaborators have developed the heterogeneous multiscale methods (HMM). He has also made significant contributions to the mathematical understanding of the microscopic foundation to the macroscopic theories for solids.
Awards
He received Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering in 1996, and Feng Kang Prize in Scientific Computing in 1999. He was the recipient of ICIAM Collatz Prize at the 5th International Congress of Industrial & Applied Math for his work on industrial and applied mathematics, the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize in 2009, and the
Theodore von Kármán Prize in 2014. He was elected as a fellow of Institute of Physics in 2005, a fellow of SIAM in 2009, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011, and a fellow of the
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...
in 2012. He was invited to speak at the
International Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union (IMU).
The Fields Medals, the Nevanlinna Prize (to be rename ...
(2002), and at Annual Meeting of the American Mathematical Society (2003). In 2019 E became a recipient of the
Peter Henrici Prize The Peter Henrici Prize (german: Peter Henrici Preis; french: Prix Peter Henrici; it, Premio Peter Henrici) is a prize awarded jointly by ETH Zurich and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) for "original contributions to applie ...
. He is an invited Plenary Speaker of International Congress of Mathematicians 2022 in St. Petersburg.
ICM Plenary speakers
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Selected publications
Weinan E, Weiqing Ren, and Eric Vanden-Eijnden. "String method for the study of rare events." Physical Review B 66, no. 5 (2002).
Weinan E, and Bjorn Engquist. "The heterognous multiscale methods." Communications in Mathematical Sciences 1, no. 1 (2003): 87-132.
Weinan E, Principles of multiscale modeling. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Weinan E, "A Proposal on Machine Learning via Dynamical Systems", Comm. Math. Stat., vol.5, no.1., pp.1-11, 2017.
Linfeng Zhang, Han Wang, Jiequn Han, Roberto Car, Weinan E, "Deep Potential Molecular Dynamics: a scalable model with the accuracy of quantum mechanics", Physical Review Letters 120(10), 143001 (2018).
Jiequn Han, Arnulf Jentzen, Weinan E, "Solving high-dimensional partial differential equations using deep learning", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(34), 8505-8510 (2018).
References
External links
Weinan E's professional webpage
Book: Principles of Multiscale Modeling
Weinan E
at th
Mathematics Genealogy Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:E, Weinan
1963 births
Living people
Educators from Taizhou, Jiangsu
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Mathematicians from Jiangsu
Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
New York University faculty
Peking University faculty
Princeton University faculty
Scientists from Taizhou, Jiangsu
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
University of Science and Technology of China alumni
Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers