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Faculty and Staff

Mathematician Ipsen Named Distinguished Professor

Memorial Belltower

NC State has honored Ilse C.F. Ipsen, a professor in the Department of Mathematics, with a professorship of distinction in recognition of her outstanding scholarly work, service contributions and student mentoring. The title honors faculty who have achieved recognition beyond the criteria for the rank of professor and are considered among the best scholars in their fields.

Ipsen’s research centers on the theoretical, algorithmic and stochastic aspects of numerical linear algebra, with the goal of advancing computational methods. She focuses on theory and numerical analysis in the context of state-of-the-art applications. Ipsen has produced influential research on randomized algorithms, which are essential for computing with massive datasets. Domain scientists like nuclear engineers, astronomers and geneticists are already using these algorithms for dimension reduction. 

Ilse C.F. Ipsen
Ilse C.F. Ipsen

Ipsen has also made extensive service contributions to the applied mathematics community. She serves as the founding editor-in-chief of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) book series on data science. Additionally, Ipsen is a member of editorial boards for eight other top journals, serves on numerous awards and advisory committees and has co-chaired and organized influential scientific meetings. She recently delivered the Olga Taussky-Todd Lecture at the 2023 International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics; the Congress is the most important international event in the field. Ipsen also is a fellow of SIAM and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Ipsen joined the NC State faculty in 1993, after 10 years on the computer science faculty at Yale University. She earned her doctorate in computer science from The Pennsylvania State University and her bachelor’s in computer science and mathematics from the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany.