US-Africa Collaborative Research Network in Mathematical Sciences

美非合作研究网络由来自美国、撒哈拉以南非洲、加拿大和欧洲的40多名高级研究人员组成，形成了4个纯数学研究团队（代数与几何、分析与拓扑学、编码理论与信息论、图论）和3个应用数学研究团队（流行病学建模、偏微分方程解的数值逼近、金融与统计数学）。每个团队至少有4名高级研究人员和至少4名本科生和研究生。学生参与者来自美国和撒哈拉以南非洲地区。该网络的主要目标是在项目结束时，(a)在美国培养至少8名高质量的新博士，在撒哈拉以南非洲培养类似数量的博士，(b)大量高质量的联合研究出版物，以及(c)由来自不同背景的研究人员组成的几个杰出的美国-非洲研究伙伴关系；从而对美国和撒哈拉以南非洲的数学科学、研究合作和人类基础设施产生长期持久的影响。所研究的问题不仅在科学研究中有重要的应用，而且在工业和政府中也有重要的应用。特别是，正在研究的编码理论、图论和数论问题在安全、网络覆盖、监视和交通方面有应用，而代数、几何和分析问题在数学生物学、微分方程、金融和统计学方面有应用。反过来，数学生物学和微分方程中的问题在传染病的传播、肿瘤生长和细胞膜变形以及生物多样性中有应用；金融和统计方面的问题将有助于更好地理解金融数学模型在发展中国家的应用。该奖项由数学科学司和数学与物理科学理事会内的多学科活动办公室联合支持。

The US-Africa Collaborative Research Network consists of over 40 senior research faculty from US, Sub-Saharan Africa, Canada, and Europe forming 4 research teams in Pure Mathematics (Algebra and Geometry, Analysis and Topology, Coding Theory and Information Theory, and Graph Theory) and 3 research teams in Applied Mathematics (Epidemiological Modeling, Numerical Approximation of Solutions of Partial Differential Equations, and Mathematics of Finance and Statistics). Each team has at least 4 senior research faculty and at least 4 undergraduate and graduate students. Student participants are recruited from across the US and Sub-Saharan Africa. The primary goal of the network is to produce, by the end of the project period, (a) at least 8 high quality new PhDs in the US and a similar number in Sub-Saharan Africa, (b) numerous high quality joint research publications, and (c) several prominent US-Africa research partnerships consisting of researchers from diverse backgrounds; and thus have long lasting impact on mathematical sciences research collaboration and human infrastructure in the US and Sub-Saharan Africa.The research problems being studied have important applications in industry and government as well as in scientific research. In particular, coding theory, graph theory, and number theoretic problems being studied have applications in security, network coverage, surveillance, and transportation, while algebra, geometry, and analysis problems have applications to mathematical biology, differential equations, finance, and statistics. In turn, problems in mathematical biology and differential equations have applications in the spread of contagious diseases, tumor growth and cell membrane deformation, and biodiversity; and problems in finance and statistics will provide a better understanding of the use of financial mathematical models in developing nations. This award is jointly supported by the Division of Mathematical Sciences and the Office of Multidisicplinary Activities within the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.