Regular biography
Michael Ward is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at The University of British Columbia. His research interests include applied partial differential equations, singular perturbations and asymptotic analysis, reaction-diffusion systems, interface dynamics and pattern forming systems, mathematical modeling, concentration and singularity behavior in PDE, eigenvalue asymptotics, mean first passage time, and Fekete point problems. Recently, he has focused on theoretical problems related to PDE modeling in math biology, such as persistence thresholds in ecology, quorum sensing and collective dynamics, and cell signalling with active boundaries. He has been recognized with the Julian Cole lecture at the SIAM annual meeting in 2022.
Scholar-generated biography
Michael J. Ward is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia, specializing in Applied Mathematics with a focus on asymptotics, singular perturbations, and reaction-diffusion systems. His research explores the stability and dynamics of pattern formation in mathematical models, including spike solutions, localized perturbations, and eigenvalue problems. He has contributed extensively to the analysis of mean first passage times, narrow escape problems, and the behavior of MEMS devices. His work also addresses the optimization of eigenvalues in domains with traps and the study of metastable solutions in reaction-diffusion equations.