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Celebrating Black History Month 2025

To celebrate Black History Month, SIAM is featuring Toluwani Okunola, a Ph.D. student at Tufts University, and Dr. Shelby Wilson, a senior data scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. We encourage you to take a moment to read through this spotlight, explore a compilation of resources and networks tailored for Black professionals in STEM, and learn more about our commitment to our community.

Toluwani Okunola

Toluwani Okunola earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, where she was awarded several scholarships and graduated as the overall best student (2019). She went on to study at the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, supported by the ICTP Postgraduate Diploma Scholarship (2020-21). Under the guidance of Professor Stefano Luzatto, Toluwani wrote a thesis on the existence and approximation of the unique physical measure of the Manneville-Pomeau map. She then completed her master's degree at the Technical University of Berlin, funded by the Berlin Mathematical School Phase One Scholarship. Under the supervision of Professor Dietmar Homberg, she explored data-driven models for battery degradation in her thesis. While in Berlin, she was research assistant at the Zuse Institute and the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics.

Currently, Toluwani is a Ph.D. student at Tufts University, supervised by Professor Misha Kilmer of Tufts University and Professor Mirjeta Pasha of Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on computational science, image restoration, optimization, and machine learning. Additionally, she manages a YouTube channel where she answers questions about academia, and a LinkedIn page with over 11,000 followers where she discusses navigating academia and scientific research, and mentors younger students.

Watch the video below as Toluwani discusses SIAM conferences and offers advice to international students.

Shelby Wilson

Inspired by her grandmother, Dr. Etta Zuber Falconer, an early African American woman Ph.D. in mathematics, Dr. Shelby Wilson combined her passion for mathematics, teaching, and outreach to create opportunities for groups underrepresented in mathematics. She holds a dual bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Spelman College, a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Maryland College Park, and has contributed to research in mathematical biology, including cancer immunology, computational epidemiology, and dynamical systems.

As an applied mathematician and mathematical biologist, she is celebrated for her expertise, research, and commitment to increasing diversity in mathematics and STEM fields. Currently, Dr. Wilson is a senior data scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She also serves as the Associate Director for Education, Training, Outreach, and Participation for NSF Center of the Analysis and Prediction of Pandemic Expansion.

Dr. Wilson has co-founded multiple organizations to promote diversity, including Mathematically Gifted and Black, the Network for Minorities in Mathematical Science, and CodeHouse. She also is a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics. In addition to being a member of SIAM for 16 years, she has served on the organizing committee for SIAM’s Workshop Celebrating Diversity. She also is a founding organizer of the MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellowship, which provides support for professional development and aims to foster long-term engagement within SIAM and success in the broader applied mathematics and computational sciences community.

Watch the video below as Dr. Wilson discusses her research and being a part of the SIAM community, as well as advice for early career professionals.

Resources and Networks for Black Mathematicians

Below are resources and networks that may be of interest to Black mathematicians of all ages. 

Relevant SIAM Programs

The MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellowship recognizes the achievements of early career applied mathematicians – particularly those belonging to racial and ethnic groups historically excluded from the mathematical sciences in the United States — and provides support for professional activities and career development. The fellowship reflects a joint commitment by Mathematically Gifted & Black (MGB) and SIAM to promote long-term engagement of fellows within SIAM and continued success within the wider applied mathematics and computational sciences community. Learn more about the 2024 Class of MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellows.

SIAM-NAM Reciprocal Membership

SIAM and the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM), a non-profit professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the mathematical sciences and the mathematical development of all underrepresented minorities, have a reciprocal membership agreement. Individuals who belong to NAM get 30% off SIAM membership, and vice versa. With our complimentary missions, this partnership will help increase the number of people, especially underrepresented minorities, taking part in the activities of both SIAM and NAM – a priority on which our two societies are very well aligned.

SIAM is dedicated to the philosophy of equality of opportunity and treatment for all participants regardless of gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion or religious belief, age, marital status, disabilities, veteran status, and field of expertise. 

As a professional society, we are committed to providing a climate that encourages the open expression and exchange of ideas, that is free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and that is welcoming and comfortable to all members and to those who participate in its activities.