Hongkai Zhao

Hongkai Zhao is the Ruth F. DeVarney Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Duke University, Department of Mathematics. He is also a Professor of Mathematics in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and has served as Chair of the Department of Mathematics since 2024. His research interests include partial differential equations, computational mathematics, and machine learning. Zhao has published work on learning PDEs from solution data, accelerated Hamiltonian Monte Carlo methods, and the expressive power of neural networks. He has received several grants, including from the National Science Foundation and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Hongkai Zhao is a Professor of Mathematics at Duke University, specializing in mathematics with a focus on partial differential equations and computational methods. His research explores advanced numerical techniques for solving complex mathematical problems, particularly in the areas of level set methods, fast sweeping algorithms, and Hamilton–Jacobi equations. Zhao's work addresses challenges in interface dynamics, shape reconstruction, and imaging problems, with applications in physics, engineering, and medical imaging. His contributions include developing efficient algorithms for solving eikonal equations and improving methods for surface reconstruction and tomographic imaging. His research emphasizes the integration of mathematical theory with practical computational tools to solve real-world problems.