SIAM News Blog
Happening Now

Celebrating Women's History Month 2025

March is Women's History Month! To celebrate, SIAM is featuring SIAM members Inga Berre, Marta D'Elia, and Suzanne Lenhart. This month, we hope you will take a moment to read through these spotlights of women in our community, a list of resources and networks tailored for women in STEM, and to learn more about our commitment to our community.

Inga Berre

Dr. Inga Berre is a mathematics professor and Director of the Center for Modeling of Coupled Subsurface Dynamics (CSD) at the University of Bergen, Norway. Her main research interests are mathematical modeling, partial differential equations, and numerical methods, motivated by simulation of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical processes in geothermal systems, and fault reactivation induced by subsurface injection and production. She has been the member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences since 2017. In 2023, she was named Argyris Visiting Professor at the SimTech Cluster of Excellence, University of Stuttgart.

Dr. Berre has been an active SIAM member for the past 14 years, beginning as a student. She has held several elected leadership positions in SIAM, including her current position as a member of the SIAM Council (2022-27) and as Chair of the SIAM Geosciences Activity Group (2021-22). She has also served on various SIAM committees, including the Germund Dahlquist Prize committee (2020-21), the SIAM Conference on Mathematical & Computational Issues in the Geosciences Organizing committee (2023), and the SIAM Activity Group on Geosciences Career Prize and Early Career Prize committees.

Watch the video below as Dr. Berre discusses her research and being a part of the SIAM community and offers advice to early career professionals.

 

Marta D'Elia

Dr. Marta D’Elia is the Director of AI and ModSim at Atomic Machines and an adjunct professor at Stanford University’s Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering. She previously held research and leadership positions at Pasteur Labs, Meta, and Sandia National Laboratories as a Principal Scientist and Tech Lead. She holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Emory University and both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in mathematical engineering from Politecnico di Milano.

Dr. D’Elia’s research focuses on the design and analysis of machine-learning models for optimal design, control, and digital twinning in complex industrial applications. As an expert in scientific machine learning, nonlocal modeling and simulation, and PDE-constrained optimization, she applies these techniques across a range of fields, including continuum mechanics, subsurface transport, image processing, and turbulence. She is also an associate editor for Nature and Springer journals.

Dr. D’Elia’s engagement with SIAM began during her Ph.D. when she attended conferences that would later prove instrumental in shaping her career. Initially unaware of the strategic value of professional networking, she quickly recognized the significance of SIAM events in fostering connections that extended beyond academia. Over the past 17 years as a member, she has actively contributed to SIAM by delivering talks, organizing minisymposia, and participating in panels, including the career panel at the 2024 SIAM Conference on Uncertainty Quantification.

Committed to supporting young researchers, particularly underrepresented groups and immigrants navigating academic and industry career paths, Dr. D’Elia co-founded and currently serves as Vice Chair of the SIAM Northern and Central California Section, where she played a key role in organizing its inaugural conference in October 2024. She also served as a member of the 2024 SIAM Annual Meeting organizing committee. Her transition to industry reinforced her dedication to broadening career opportunities for mathematicians beyond academia. In early 2024, she joined the SIAM Industry Committee, where she contributes to initiatives that enhance industry participation in SIAM conferences. Additionally, she serves as an associate editor for SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing and is a SIAM author of Nonlocal Integral Equation Continuum Models: Nonstandard Symmetric Interaction Neighborhoods and Finite Element Discretizations.

Beyond her technical contributions, Dr. D’Elia has been a steadfast advocate for women in mathematics and computational science. As a Ph.D. student at Emory University, she served as President of the Association for Women in Mathematics chapter, working to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for women in the field. Since then, she has continued her advocacy through participation in women-focused initiatives, speaking on career panels at SIAM and non-SIAM conferences, and engaging in mentoring programs designed to support the next generation of female scientists and engineers.

For Ph.D. students and young researchers, Dr. D’Elia emphasizes the importance of exploring diverse career paths and gaining exposure to different professional environments. Graduate school presents a unique opportunity to experience academia, national labs, and industry, allowing individuals to discover the setting that best aligns with their interests and strengths. Reflecting on her own journey, she believes that transitioning to industry earlier would have allowed her to realize her passion for applied research and real-world problem-solving sooner.

She also highlights the invaluable role of mentorship in professional growth. Seeking guidance from mentors who inspire and challenge them can have a profound impact on early career professionals, shaping their ability to write impactful research papers, develop strong proposals, and present effectively at conferences. Finally, she encourages young professionals to define success on their own terms. Rather than being driven solely by external recognition, she advises individuals to pursue work that brings them personal fulfillment and joy. By staying open to new experiences, building meaningful professional relationships, and aligning career choices with their passions, early career professionals can set themselves up for long-term success and satisfaction.

Suzanne Lenhart

Dr. Suzanne Lenhart is a Chancellor’s Professor and the James R. Cox Professor of Mathematics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she has been a faculty member since 1981. She also served as a part-time research staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 22 years. A leading expert in optimal control and differential equations, her research focuses on modeling applications in populations, natural resources, invasive species, and diseases. Her recent NIH- and CDC-funded projects involve modeling hospital-acquired infections and COVID-19, while her current NSF project explores the role of human behavior in respiratory disease models.

Dr. Lenhart served as President of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) from 2001-2003 and was named a 2011 SIAM Fellow, in addition to being a Fellow of AMS, AWM, and AAAS. She was the Associate Director for Education and Outreach at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis for 12 years, during which she organized over 200 educational activities and helped develop 60 instructional modules integrating mathematical modeling with biological systems.

Education, outreach, and diversity remain central to her service. She is a co-PI on an NSF grant supporting the MASAMU program, a research collaboration initiative in southern Africa, and leads a UT program within the NSF-funded INCLUDES Alliance, which supports students with disabilities in STEM. She has also been deeply involved in mentoring, serving as a research advisor to 33 Ph.D. students, 37 master’s students, and 15 postdocs.

SIAM has played a significant role in Dr. Lenhart’s career, and she has been a dedicated member for 40 years. She has held elected leadership positions in SIAM, serving on the SIAM Council (1995-2000) and the SIAM Board of Trustees (2004-09). She has been a member of the SIAM Education Committee for 23 years, supporting student chapters and promoting mathematics education. She also held leadership roles in the SIAM Activity Group on Control and Systems Theory and the SIAM Activity Group on Life Sciences, served on various SIAM prize committees, and contributed to the organization of several SIAM conferences, including Computational Science and Engineering, Mathematics of Planet Earth, Life Sciences, and Control and Its Applications. Additionally, she has served on the editorial boards of three SIAM journals and was a member of the SIAM Diversity Advisory Committee for three years.

Dr. Lenhart has also contributed significantly to joint AWM-SIAM initiatives. For 16 years, she organized AWM workshops for graduate students and postdocs at SIAM Annual Meetings, featuring career-oriented presentations and mentoring programs. She was instrumental in establishing the AWM-SIAM Sonia Kovalevsky Lecture series, which highlights the achievements of women in applied mathematics.

Check out the video below where Dr. Lenhart shares insights on her research, her experiences within the SIAM community, and valuable advice for early career professionals.

 

Relevant Resources & Programs

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.