SIAM Recognizes National Volunteer Month

April is National Volunteer Month, and SIAM is celebrating the dedicated individuals who selflessly offer their time and energy to strengthen both SIAM, and the broader mathematical sciences community. We would like to recognize and thank our many volunteers, whether you are a review editor for a SIAM journal, organizing conferences, advising student chapters, managing committees, writing for SIAM News, sitting on the SIAM Board of Trustees, or something else. We thank all of our volunteers for your hard work and dedication and know SIAM would be nothing without your help!

In honor of National Volunteer Month, SIAM is spotlighting Dr. Alejandro Aceves and Dr. Malena Español. Learn more about their professions and volunteer work with SIAM below.

Alejandro Aceves, Professor, Southern Methodist University

Dr. Alejandro Aceves earned his M.S. at the California Institute of Technology (1983) and his Ph.D. in applied mathematics, University of Arizona (1988). From 1989 to 2008, Dr. Aceves progressed through the ranks from assistant professor to full professor of mathematics at the University of New Mexico. He then joined Southern Methodist University as a professor (2008) before serving as the Department Chair of Mathematics (2016-2021). Dr. Aceves has also been a visiting scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and an Air Force Laboratory faculty fellow. In 2016, he was elected Fellow of Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America). Additionally, he has held several visiting positions, most recently at Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Limoges, the University of Erlangen, the Max Planck Institute, and Columbia University.

Dr. Aceves’ main research area has been in modeling in nonlinear optics and photonics, and he has also contributed to climate research. His research has been funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. He has mentored numerous Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows throughout his career.

Dr. Aceves has been a SIAM member for 36 years, attending numerous SIAM conferences and serving on various SIAM committees. He was named a 2021 SIAM Fellow and has volunteered in multiple capacities, including serving as Chair of the SIAM Activity Group on Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures. He also co-founded the SIAM Texas-Louisiana Section and the SIAM Southern Methodist University-The University of Texas at Dallas Student Chapter. He currently serves as Vice President for the SIAM Committee on Science Policy.

Watch the video below as Dr. Aceves discusses his service with SIAM and career advice for early career professionals.

Malena Español, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Dr. Malena Español is an associate professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Arizona State University. She holds a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from the University of Buenos Aires and a master's degree and Ph.D. in mathematics from Tufts University. Before her current position, Dr. Español completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology and later assumed a faculty role at The University of Akron.

She specializes in developing, analyzing, and applying mathematical models and numerical methods to address complex challenges in science and engineering, with a focus on materials science, image processing, and medical applications. Her research lies at the intersection of scientific computing, numerical linear algebra, numerical optimization, the calculus of variations, and machine learning. She develops and analyzes numerical algorithms for large-scale computational problems, particularly those arising in solid mechanics, materials science, and image processing.

Dr. Español has supervised over 70 undergraduate and graduate students in research projects and has mentored several more as part of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) mentor program and the Math Alliance. She is a 2013 Brown Project NExT Fellow. She co-organized the 2018 Women in Mathematics of Materials workshop and co-edited the Springer AWM series Research in the Mathematics of Materials Science. In 2013, Dr. Español also co-organized AMIGAs, a summer program for applied and computational mathematics graduate students. Additionally, she has served on committees for the American Mathematical Society, AWM, Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and SIAM.

Dr. Español was named the 2022 Karen EDGE Fellow and is a visiting scholar of the Institute for Advanced Study. In 2024, she received the MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award. She is currently a member of the Education Advisory Board at the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics.

Dr. Español’s involvement with SIAM began during her graduate studies at Tufts University, where she founded and served as President of the SIAM Student Chapter. This early experience instilled in her a deep appreciation for SIAM’s role in fostering collaboration and professional growth. Over the past 22 years as a SIAM member, she has volunteered in various capacities, including organizing SIAM conferences – most recently the 2025 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering—serving as a faculty advisor for student chapters, a mentor for summer programs such as the SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Summer Research Program, and participating in multiple SIAM committees. She currently serves as a member of the SIAM Student Paper Prize Committee. Each role has reinforced her belief in the power of community-driven initiatives and the importance of supporting the next generation of researchers in applied mathematics.

Dr. Español affirms that SIAM has played a significant role in her career, providing a platform for sharing research, networking with colleagues, and engaging in meaningful discussions about the future of computational and applied mathematics. Through SIAM, she has had the opportunity to mentor students, collaborate on interdisciplinary projects, and contribute to initiatives aimed at broadening participation in mathematics. These experiences have shaped both her academic career and her perspective on the importance of volunteerism in professional organizations.

Regarding volunteering within SIAM, Dr. Español finds her work in the community to be a deeply rewarding experience and encourages others to take part in shaping the organization. “Whether through mentoring, organizing conferences, or participating in outreach initiatives, volunteer work strengthens our field and ensures that it remains vibrant and inclusive,” she said. “The impact of volunteerism extends beyond individual contributions—it fosters a culture of collaboration, mentorship, and innovation that benefits the entire applied mathematics community.”