Michael Klibanov

Michael Klibanov is a Full Professor of Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He holds a Ph.D. (1977) and Doctor of Science (1986) in Mathematics from Russian institutions. His research focuses on inverse problems for partial differential equations, ill-posed problems, and their applications in interdisciplinary fields like microwaves, nano-science, and financial modeling. He has secured over $3.3 million in federal funding, primarily from the US Army Research Office, establishing him as a nationally prominent mathematician. Klibanov pioneered the use of Carleman estimates in inverse problems, leading to global uniqueness theorems and globally convergent numerical methods (GCM). In 2014, he resolved long-standing challenges in phaseless inverse scattering, enabling imaging of nanostructures and biological cells. Recently, he developed a mathematical model for the Black-Scholes equation, validated on real stock market data.

Education:

• 1972: MS in Mathematics (Diploma with Honor), Novosibirsk State University, Russia.
• 1977: Ph.D. in Mathematics, Urals State University, Russia.
• 1986: Doctor of Science in Mathematics, Computing Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science.

Research Interests: Klibanov’s work combines theoretical rigor with numerical methods. Key areas include the Bukhgeim-Klibanov method (carleman estimates for global uniqueness), convexification for ill-posed problems, and phaseless inverse scattering. His globally convergent methods (tail functions and convexification) solve coefficient inverse problems without prior solution proximity. Recent focus includes quasilinear PDEs and financial applications.

Awards & Recognition:

• 2022: Medal from Inverse Problems Conference in Malta for distinguished contributions.
• 2025: Klien College of Science Excellence in Research Award.
• 2022: Editorial laudation in Journal of Inverse and Ill-Posed Problems for his 70th anniversary.

Grants & Funding: Over $3.3 million in federal funding, primarily from US Army Research Office, reflecting his high-impact interdisciplinary research. This places him among the most federally funded mathematicians in the U.S.

Labs/Teams: Collaborations span academic and experimental domains, including work with co-authors on convexification methods and phaseless scattering. Editorial roles in journals like Journal of Inverse and Ill-Posed Problems further highlight his leadership.