Wolfram Computation Meets Knowledge

Wolfram Innovator Award

Wolfram technologies have long been a major force in many areas of industry and research. Leaders in many top organizations and institutions have played a major role in using computational intelligence and pushing the boundaries of how the Wolfram technology stack is leveraged for innovation across fields and disciplines.

We recognize these deserving recipients with the Wolfram Innovator Award, which is awarded at the Wolfram Technology Conferences around the world.

Presented at the Wolfram Technology Conferences. Learn more

2020

Omar Olmos

Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Areas: Computational Physics, Data Science, Education, Machine Learning, Mathematics Courseware Design, Physics

Omar Olmos is north regional director of science and engineering for the Monterrey Institute of Technology, where he uses Mathematica for a range of education and research tasks. In addition to developing interactive examples, tutorials and other student resources, he uses Wolfram Language machine-learning analytics to predict student performance. Omar has also used Mathematica to model electromagnetic waves interacting with nanostructures, performing numeric experimentation to study new nanoscale optical effects.

2020

Gustavo Restrepo

Exergétika Bogotá

Areas: Chemical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Industrial Engineering Economics, System Modeling, Systems Engineering

Gustavo Restrepo is a chemical engineer and entrepreneur who has used Wolfram technology extensively in the energy industry. During his PhD studies in industrial thermal engineering, he used Mathematica to model a thermochemical heat recuperation system to optimize energy efficiency. Working as a process engineer, he used Mathematica for many optimization problems involving separation vessels, heat transfer systems and heavy oil transport. In 2017, he cofounded Exergétika, where he is developing a Wolfram System Modeler package with hydrodynamic components for modeling networks and associated control loops, among other applications, to implement computational thinking in engineering.

2020

Ariel Sepúlveda

Pronto Analytics Inc.

Areas: Business Analysis, Image Processing, Industrial Engineering, Software Development

Ariel Sepúlveda is the founder and president of Pronto Analytics, an organization dedicated to helping other organizations standardize the generation of analyses and reports for supporting decision-making processes. He is an industrial engineer who has used Wolfram technology throughout his educational and professional career. He has used the Wolfram Language in many fields, including quality control, retail analytics, image processing and manufacturing applications. Ariel’s most recent project is D4CR, a Wolfram Language–powered application that interprets natural language queries to analyze data and generate standardized reports.

2020

William J. Turkel

The University of Western Ontario

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Computational Humanities, Education

William J. Turkel is a professor of history at The University of Western Ontario in Canada, whose research and teaching focuses on computational methods, digital humanities and the histories of science, technology and environment. He is a cofounder of the Programming Historian website and the author of Digital Research Methods with Mathematica, now in its second edition. He has been using Mathematica in his research since the mid-1990s and has been teaching courses with the language for eight years.

2020

Mike Weimerskirch

University of Minnesota

Areas: Education, Mathematics, Mathematics Courseware Design, Software Development

Mike Weimerskirch is a mathematics professor who incorporates Mathematica heavily in his education workflow. After using Mathematica in his own graduate-school courses, he began applying it as a professor to help improve his students’ understanding in mathematics courses. As the director of educational innovation for the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota, he has helped build the Minnesota Online Learning System (MOLS) for generating and grading homework and quizzes. In addition to providing a better educational interface for faculty and students, the system has improved placement exam outcomes and helped increase the number of students that successfully complete freshman mathematics courses.

2019

Dr. Yehuda Ben-Shimol

Senior Lecturer, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Communications Systems Engineering Department)

Areas: Education, Engineering, System Modeling, Systems Engineering

Yehuda Ben-Shimol has taught courses in graph theory, queueing theory, information theory and more using Wolfram technologies. Using Mathematica and Wolfram SystemModeler, he developed a series of “virtual labs” that allow hands-on exploration of complex engineering models. Through his published work and ongoing community engagement, Ben-Shimol has exposed thousands of students and faculty members to the benefits of using Wolfram technology in coursework and research.

2019

Tom Burghardt

Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry, Mayo Clinic Rochester (Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

Areas: Biomedical Research, Education, Machine Learning, Molecular Biology

Tom Burghardt is a researcher at the #1 ranked Mayo Clinic, where he has spent the last three decades studying myosin and muscle tissue. In his 100+ publications, he uses Mathematica extensively for advanced statistics and modeling—tracing all the way back to a 1985 signal processing computation done in SMP, a precursor to Mathematica. Burghardt’s most recent innovation uses feed-forward neural networks developed in the Wolfram neural net framework to help create models for inheritable heart disease using a worldwide database of cardiac muscle proteins. His ultimate goal is to make these models available in the Wolfram Cloud for other researchers to explore and use.

2019

Todd Feitelson

Math Teacher, Millbrook School

Areas: 3D Printing, Computer Graphics and Visual Arts, Mathematics, Mathematics Courseware Design

Todd Feitelson teaches mathematics at Millbrook School in Millbrook, New York, and has been using Mathematica to build a new hands-on curriculum for his high-school students. His unique projects and problem sets bring math to life, using the Wolfram Language’s 3D modeling and printing capabilities to design and print polyhedrons, chessboards, rockets and more. Feitelson has presented his results at several conferences, showcasing Mathematica’s usefulness for creating these interactive problem sets.

2019

Chris Hanusa

Associate Professor of Mathematics, PhD, CUNY Queens College

Areas: 3D Printing, Computer Graphics and Visual Arts, Mathematics, Mathematics Courseware Design

Chris Hanusa is a professor at Queens College in Queens, New York, teaching classes on calculus, mathematical modeling, graph theory and more. He makes extensive use of Mathematica to help his students with complex calculations and for visualizing difficult concepts. In his Math with Mathematica course, Hanusa works with students on several Mathematica-based projects, including 3D modeling and printing. He gives regular talks on teaching with Mathematica, emphasizing the importance of the Wolfram Language’s 3D printing capabilities.

2019

Dr. Joo-Haeng Lee

Senior Research Scientist, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute

Areas: Computer Graphics and Visual Arts, Computer Science, Machine Learning

Dr. Joo-Haeng Lee is a researcher specializing in human-machine interaction, robotics and computational art. He has used Mathematica to develop several unique geometric algorithms for camera calibration and Bézier curves/surfaces. Most recently, he utilized the Wolfram Language to develop PixelSwap, an algorithm for pixel-based color transition that can be used for both aesthetic images and synthetic learning sets for deep learning. Dr. Lee regularly uses Mathematica visualization for technical illustrations and his artworks for exhibitions.

2019

Casey B. Mulligan

Professor of Economics, Becker Friedman Institute, University of Chicago

Areas: Computational Humanities, Economic Research and Analysis, Economics, Software Development

Casey Mulligan is a renowned economist who has served as chief economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisors, a visiting professor at several universities and a research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research. He frequently uses the Wolfram Language in his economic research and has published numerous papers that utilize Mathematica computations and visualizations. Mulligan has additionally developed a Wolfram Language package that provides unique functionality for automated economic reasoning using both quantitative and qualitative assumptions.

2019

Flip Phillips

Professor of Motion Picture Science, Rochester Institute of Technology

Areas: Computational Humanities, Computational Thinking, Computer Graphics and Visual Arts, Education, Machine Learning

Flip Phillips is a professor, researcher and former Pixar animation scientist who uses Wolfram technology to integrate real-world computation into his psychology and neuroscience curriculum. Through his course, students get unique hands-on experience with computational thinking and machine learning, completing cross-disciplinary projects ranging from predicting voter behavior to identifying fruit from sensor readings. Phillips makes use of Wolfram connected devices for gathering data and frequently publishes his work in the Wolfram Cloud. He has used Mathematica extensively for his research on perception, psychological aesthetics and cortical plasticity. He has also written several packages for extending the Wolfram Language’s rendering capabilities.

2019

Robert Rasmussen and Kirk Reinholtz

Senior Engineers, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Areas: Aerospace, Control Engineering, High-Performance and Parallel Computing, Probability Theory, Risk Analysis, Software Development, Systems Engineering

Robert Rasmussen and Kirk Reinholtz are systems engineers who have used the Wolfram Language to develop a set of methodologies for building complex control system applications. Their integrated mission operation systems utilize the Wolfram Language to provide live updates to local data stores, keeping information consistent throughout processes. Both have used Mathematica extensively for large probability and engineering computations—including hundred-day distributed computations and the processing of gigabyte-scale datasets. They evangelize Mathematica and the Wolfram Language to others in the aerospace field, encouraging them to use Wolfram Notebooks for exploration and the expression of ideas.

2019

Dr. Jane Shen-Gunther

Doctor, Brooke Army Medical Center

Areas: Biomedical Research, High-Performance and Parallel Computing, Image and Signal Processing, Machine Learning, Molecular Biology

Dr. Jane Shen-Gunther is a medical doctor and researcher for the US Army, specializing in gynecologic oncology and obstetrics. She recently started using Mathematica and the Wolfram Language to advance her team’s research in HPV detection, automating the analysis of several gigabytes of image and instrument data and generating interactive visual reports for both patients and physicians. Dr. Shen-Gunther has also deployed her predictive model in the Wolfram Cloud to share access with other physicians. Her work has led to improved patient interactions, as well as better prediction of pap outcomes that impact underdeveloped countries.

2019

Mihai Vidrighin

R&D Lead, PsiQuantum

Areas: Electrical Engineering, Image Processing, Physics, System Modeling

Mihai Vidrighin is a researcher in photonics who has used Mathematica extensively throughout his career. During his PhD thesis, he used Mathematica to run simulations and data analytics involving quantum thermodynamics, and he continues to recommend the system to colleagues. He currently leads a team developing a photonics component for generating single photon pairs with new accuracy and scale. In this project, he has used the Wolfram Language to build an extremely comprehensive model for nonlinear and quantum optics to describe photon-pair generation and quantum optics circuits. Vidrighin has also written several Wolfram Language packages for quantum optics simulation and electron microscope image processing.

2018

Abby Brown

Teacher of Mathematics, Torrey Pines High School (Department of Math)

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Calculus, Computational Thinking, Education, Mathematics Courseware Design

Abby Brown is a teacher at Torrey Pines High School. Over the last decade, she has used Wolfram technologies to develop and publish interactive course materials for high-school and junior-high mathematics. In addition to evangelizing the Wolfram Language to colleagues and students, Abby actively shares her course materials through a variety of websites. She has made numerous contributions to Computational Thinking Initiatives and has started the Computational Thinking Club at her school. Many of Abby’s former students go on to use the Wolfram Language for hackathons and university work.

2018

Bruce Colletti

Operations Researcher, Cox Automotive Inc
Adjunct Professor, Northern Virginia Community College

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Defense Analysis, Education, Industrial Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research, System Modeling

Dr. Colletti is an operations researcher and former Air Force major who has used Wolfram technologies extensively for research in defense and homeland security analysis. He used Mathematica to finish his dissertation on group theory, as well as for a number of subsequent publications over the following two decades. Consulting for many classified government projects, he utilizes the Wolfram Language and Wolfram SystemModeler to develop large-scale analytic models for personnel, logistics and program evaluation. Dr. Colletti has guided the research of eight master’s and doctoral students at several universities, and he has won awards for his work instructing mathematics courses with the Wolfram Language at Northern Virginia Community College.

2018

David Creech

Manager of Engineering Analysis and Development, McDermott (formerly CB&I)

Areas: Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Risk Analysis, Software Development, System Modeling

David Creech is the manager of engineering analysis and development at McDermott (formerly CB&I) and a longtime user of the Wolfram Language. In his undergraduate and graduate programs, Creech used the Wolfram Language for mechanical engineering work, including the development of a Wolfram Language package for automating calculations to produce consumer ratings diagrams. At McDermott, he uses Wolfram technology in the development and management of leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs for industrial facilities. In 2012, he started an initiative at McDermott to replace hundreds of FORTRAN and Excel programs with Wolfram Language packages, modernizing their engineering workflow to provide easier access and customization for engineers. Creech’s colleagues are now using the Wolfram Language for their own computations and connecting them to these centralized packages to create more efficient tools for engineering their products.

2018

Nicholas Mecholsky

Research Scientist, Vitreous State Laboratory
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Catholic University of America

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Image Processing, Machine Learning, Nuclear Engineering, Optimization, Physics, System Modeling

Nicholas Mecholsky is a research scientist and professor focusing on optimization and physical modeling. In addition to demonstrating high-level math and physics concepts to his students with the Wolfram Language, he has utilized it in research publications on subjects ranging from animal flocks to autonomous cars to thermoelectric transfer. He is currently involved in a joint project with the US Department of Energy and Vitreous State Laboratory using Wolfram Language image processing and machine learning to model, analyze and predict crystallization phenomena in nuclear tank waste. The project has significantly improved the efficiency of vitrification (transformation into glass), helping to make safer nuclear waste storage a reality.

2018

Jorge Ramirez

Applied Mathematician, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Areas: Applied Mathematics, Biology, Calculus, Education, Fluid Dynamics, Mathematics Courseware Design

Dr. Ramirez is a professor dedicated to applying contemporary mathematics to the natural sciences using the Wolfram Language. In addition to using the Wolfram Language daily for simulating natural processes, solving ODEs and PDEs, and performing administrative tasks like class management, he regularly evangelizes it to his students and colleagues. Dr. Ramirez also uses the language to develop interactive lectures, notes and other course materials—most notably for differential calculus lectures with 50+ students. He is currently involved in various research projects using the Wolfram Language to model, analyze and predict processes such as ant pheromone dynamics, nonlinear transport in breaking oceanic waves, runoff distribution in watersheds and glucose levels in diabetics.

2018

Aaron Santos

Data Scientist, EMC Insurance

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Computational Physics, Data Science, Industrial Engineering, Internet of Things, Nanotechnology, Risk Analysis

Dr. Santos is a data scientist, professor and author who uses Wolfram technology to advance data and device integration in a variety of sectors. He and his team at EMC Insurance have used the Wolfram Language and Wolfram Enterprise Private Cloud for valuable research analyzing data from IoT devices to help improve driver safety, reduce fuel consumption and identify worksite hazards. As part of a recent startup, Dr. Santos also worked on the development of a nanotechnology device for efficiently identifying the genetic makeup of food products, with future plans to integrate Wolfram Cloud technology to provide additional analytics and services to consumers.

2018

Neil Singer

President, AC Kinetics, Inc.

Areas: Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, System Modeling

Dr. Singer is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur who used Mathematica Version 1 in research to reduce vibrations in electric machines. Since then, he has heavily encouraged innovative uses of Wolfram technology within the engineering community. In 2013 he founded AC Kinetics, a company that uses the Wolfram Language and Wolfram SystemModeler to simulate and verify models for digital motor controller designs. The Wolfram workflow has provided the team with significant savings on development and computation time, and their resulting prototypes have reduced energy consumption by nearly 50% in some cases. Licensees of AC Kinetics products include many high-profile companies, such as NASA, Westinghouse and HP. In the future, Dr. Singer and his team hope to create interactive digital twins for real-time analysis and updating of models.

2018

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Scientific Advisor, Universa Investments

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Financial Risk, Probability Theory

Dr. Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a world-renowned researcher and author with dozens of published papers relating to the philosophical, mathematical and practical issues with probability, especially in the fields of financial risk and decision making. His multivolume work Incerto, which covers broad facets of uncertainty, has been translated into 37 languages. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, with a focus on properties of “antifragile” systems whose functioning improves with disorder. Dr. Taleb has used Mathematica extensively in his work, including for research into non-idealized probabilistic decision-making models and computational pre-asymptotics.

2017

Dr. Marco Thiel

Professor, Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology
Professor, Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics

Areas: Complex Systems, Education, Mathematical Biology, Physics

Marco Thiel is a professor at the University of Aberdeen who uses Wolfram technologies in various domains, including education and research. A true evangelist, he has introduced hundreds of students and industry professionals alike to the Wolfram Language, and is an active user on Wolfram Community. For the last two years, Dr. Thiel has been using the Wolfram Language to develop algorithms and analyze sensor data of subjects in clinical dementia trials. The analysis is performed on large datasets through the external devices of subjects, and predictive tools, which determine changes in brain connectivity as dementia develops, are created. In his classes, Dr. Thiel utilizes CDF documents to create interactive lecture notes for his students. Using real-world data, students are able to connect topics they learn in other courses through simulations done in real time, instilling computational thinking into students long after they finish the course.

2017

Youngjoo Chung

Professor, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Areas: Authoring and Publishing, Education

Dr. Chung is a professor at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and has created an extensive symbolic computing package for versatile manipulation of mathematical expressions using the Wolfram Language. His package includes over 800 functions ranging from basic algebra to functional analysis. The package also contains its own interpreter language, complete online documentation and two palettes for increased ease of execution. Additionally, Dr. Chung maintains the South Korean Mathematica Users group, and is a highly active member of the international community using Wolfram technologies.

1 2 3 4 5 6

All Recipients:

By Year:

By Area of Interest:

See More