Professor Du was among 22 scientists from all walks of life who were announced today as the latest Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science.
As Professor of Mathematics, Yihong Du is leading international research to apply pure mathematics to a range of complex real-world problems — from measuring the impacts of climate change and how wounds heal to the march of invasive species and disease. And it's all because of the predictable way that things spread.
Prof. Du is internationally renowned for his contributions to the theory of nonlinear elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations and their application in chemical reaction theory and population dynamics. Among other things, his work has made significant advances towards factoring in real-world complexity to mathematical models that might otherwise over-simplify the complexity of the natural world.
Prof. Du is a pioneer and leader in the use of nonlinear free boundary problems to model spreading phenomena and has resolved long standing-problems on sharp thresholds, boundary blow up, bifurcation and multiplicity.
"My work concerns propagation, the spreading process, but not everything spreads in the same way," Prof. Du explains."I am trying to establish a very basic mathematical model to improve the accuracy and precision of predicting and measuring propagation phenomena. People working on concrete problems can then add on the specifics that suit their particular situation, whether it's population dynamics or chemical reactions."
His papers have been highly influential. Prof. Du’s reputation in his field has allowed him to maintain important international collaborations, and he has advanced science not just as an individual researcher, but as a conference organiser and a member of panels and committees. He is valued as a mentor by postdoctoral research students, particularly from his native China.
“I’m very glad to have the recognition from the Academy,” he said. “I regard it as encouragement, because there are many more things to do.”
Prof. Du’s elevation to 2021 Academy Fellow puts him in the company with scientists whose contributions include developing statistical theories to improve weather forecasting, growing ‘qubits’ which form the architecture of quantum computers, and revealing how plant cells communicate with each other about changes in their environment.
Australian Academy of Science President, Professor John Shine, congratulated the new Fellows for their achievements on the international stage.
“These researchers have not only been at the forefront of Australia's scientific community, but have also been leaders in global science,” said Professor Shine.
“The 2021 Fellows were elected by their Academy peers after a rigorous evaluation. I warmly congratulate and welcome each Fellow on their election and for their extraordinary contribution to science and society.”
This year’s cohort is made up of 41% women and 59% men. Over the past five years, 35% of the Fellows elected have been women.
