Linda Petzold

Linda Petzold is the Mehrabian Distinguished Professor in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Her roles span academic leadership, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She holds affiliations with the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, and multiple UCSB centers including the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, Center for Bioengineering, and Center for Control, Dynamical Systems & Computation.

Dr. Petzold earned her PhD and BA in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on modeling, simulation, and software development for multiscale systems in biology, materials, and social networks. Notable projects include the Stochastic Simulation Service (StochSS), a cloud-based platform for biological modeling, and collaborations on topics like circadian rhythms, coagulopathy, and social sentiment analysis. She also leads work in computational neuroscience, including studies of neuronal activity in brain organoids.

Her scientific contributions are recognized through prestigious awards, including the Sidney Fernbach Award and ACM Prize in Computational Science. Petzold’s research emphasizes bridging computational methods with experimental data, fostering interdisciplinary partnerships to address complex challenges in healthcare, ecology, and materials science. Her lab develops algorithms for stochastic systems, with applications ranging from trauma patient outcomes to fibrinolytic mechanisms.

Publications highlight advancements in numerical methods, machine learning, and systems biology. Key themes include neural ordinary differential equations, prompt tuning for LLMs, and multimodal scientific datasets. Her work integrates computational tools with real-world biomedical and ecological problems, reflecting a commitment to translational research.

Dr. Petzold advises students and collaborates extensively, with grants supporting projects like Bayesian neural networks for parameter inference and GAN-based imputation for medical data. Her leadership in academic and professional societies underscores her role as a visionary in computational science and engineering.