Michael Holst

Michael Holst is a Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), currently serving as Chair of the Mathematics Department. He holds a PhD from the University of Illinois (1993) and has held academic positions at Caltech (1993–1997) and UC Irvine (1997–1998) before joining UCSD in 1998. He also serves as Co-Director of the Center for Computational Mathematics (CCoM) and Core Faculty in the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences (CASS). His research spans numerical analysis, applied mathematics, and mathematical physics, with a focus on general relativity, finite element methods, and computational biophysics.

Education:

• B.S. in Mathematics, Colorado State University, 1987
• Ph.D. in Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993

Research Interests: Holst’s work integrates numerical methods, partial differential equations, and geometric analysis. He is renowned for contributions to the Einstein constraint equations in general relativity, finite element exterior calculus (FEEC), and computational tools like the Finite Element Toolkit (FETK). His research addresses challenges in gravitational wave modeling, biophysical simulations, and plasma physics. Key themes include adaptive mesh refinement, nonlinear elliptic systems, and interdisciplinary applications in physics and engineering.

Awards & Recognition:

• NSF CAREER Award
• Hellman Fellowship
• SIAM Fellow (2016)
• Chancellor’s Associates Endowed Chair (UCSD)

Advising & Grants: Holst has mentored 19 doctoral students and 29 postdoctoral researchers, fostering interdisciplinary training through programs like the Computational Science, Mathematics, and Engineering (CSME) graduate program. His grants include support from NSF, NIH, DOE, AFOSR, and industrial sponsors. He leads research initiatives on numerical relativity, computational biophysics, and fusion energy modeling.

Labs & Affiliations: Co-founder and leader of the Mathematical and Computational Physics Research Group (MCP). Core contributor to the FETK software framework and interdisciplinary centers such as CCoM, CASS, and the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI). Active in organizing conferences like the Pacific Coast Gravity Meetings and workshops on computational relativity and machine learning.