Carnegie Mellon University
August 31, 2021

Franziska Weber Wins NSF CAREER Award

By Ben Panko

Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences Franziska Weber has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. These prestigious grants are designed to support promising research by early-career faculty. 

"I combine tools from mathematical and numerical analysis and probability to design mathematically sound algorithms to simulate applications in fluid dynamics and material sciences," Weber said of her research. 

In particular, Weber's work supported by this grant will focus on areas where fluids are subject to magnetic fields, she said. These can be found in nature, such as when studying magma and how the Earth's magnetic field affects it, or in industrial applications such as precision sensors or magnetic drug targeting. 

"The algorithms developed in the course of this project may be useful for engineers and physicists to simulate complicated processes on a computer instead of conducting expensive and elaborate physical experiments," Weber said. "Moreover, it will contribute to a better understanding of these complex phenomena." 

With this grant, Weber said, she will be able to hire students to assist with the work and be able to visit and invite collaborators to Carnegie Mellon.