Alina Chertock Named Head of Mathematics Department at NC State

Alina Chertock, a longtime NC State professor and prominent mathematician, has been named the new head of the university’s Department of Mathematics.

Chertock has been with NC State since 2002 and was serving as interim department head prior to her permanent appointment. She is also an adjunct professor at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in Russia and has held visiting professorships in Germany, China and France.

As head of the department, Chertock oversees academic, administrative and budgetary matters for 500 students and more than 60 faculty. The department, which has programs in pure and applied mathematics and a strong interdisciplinary focus, has been recognized for its outstanding faculty and students, as well as its recruitment of women and underrepresented minorities.

During her time at NC State, Chertock has been a prolific researcher, receiving a number of National Science Foundation (NSF) and Office of Naval Research research grants totaling nearly $1 million. Her current NSF-funded research aims to develop better numerical methods for shallow water equations and related models. These new methods will help in designing coastal protection systems, investigating the effects of sediment transport on sea-drilling platforms, developing flood mitigation systems and planning new urban areas.

Chertock has authored or coauthored nearly 50 research articles and has been a referee for more than 25 academic journals. She has been active on a number of faculty and graduate student committees, including the department’s Faculty Advisory, Hiring, and Graduate Program committees. She has also served as a reviewer and panelist for the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation.

Chertock received a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Moscow State University in Russia and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Tel-Aviv University in Israel.