Indian-origin mathematician to head ICSU

Indian-origin academics are making headlines, and getting plum positions in prestigious universities and academic bodies around the world. Daya Reddy, an Indian-origin South African mathematician, is the latest star, who has been appointed to head the International Council for Science (ICSU).

Reddy, who is president of the Academy of Science of South Africa and serves as co-chair of the InterAcademy Council, was elected September 5 by representatives of the ICSU’s 120 national members and scientific unions attending the General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand.

ICSU is a non-governmental organisation with a global membership of 121 national scientific bodies and 31 international scientific unions with a mission to strengthen international science for the benefit of society.

“I look forward very much to working with my colleagues in ICSU on the task of realising these goals. I am particularly keen to ensure that ICSU becomes as inclusive as possible, so that, as the ‘voice’ of science, we are in fact able to involve the entire community worldwide,” said Reddy.

“ICSU is in a special position to promote the values of science and provide leadership in seeking scientific approaches to the world’s problems,” he stressed.

Much of Reddy’s work is concerned with analysis and computational simulation in solid and fluid mechanics and concerns the development of mathematical models of material behaviour, analysis of these models, and the construction and implementation of algorithms for their numerical solution.

Reddy will take over from the current ICSU president, Gordon McBean, in October 2017.

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