William Henshaw

William Henshaw serves as the Margaret A. Darrin Distinguished Professor in Applied Mathematics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, affiliated with the Department of Mathematical Sciences. He maintains active roles in the Center for Modeling, Optimization and Computational Analysis (MOCA), Center for Computational Innovations (CCI), and Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC).

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, California Institute of Technology, 1985
• B.Math (Hons) in Applied Math and Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 1985

Dr. Henshaw's research centers on numerical methods for partial differential equations, with pioneering contributions to overlapping grid techniques. His work encompasses adaptive mesh refinement, multigrid algorithms, and high-order accurate methods for fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, and electromagnetics. He has developed robust boundary conditions for conjugate heat transfer and fluid-structure interactions, and is the primary architect of the Overture framework—an object-oriented platform for solving PDEs on complex geometries.

Analysis of his 2021-2025 publications reveals sustained innovation in high-order numerical schemes, particularly for wave propagation, Maxwell's equations in nonlinear media, and multi-physics problems. His work consistently addresses stability challenges at material interfaces and develops compatibility conditions for overset grids, demonstrating cross-disciplinary impact from electromagnetics to marine engineering.

Dr. Henshaw leads the Overture project, which provides computational infrastructure for multi-domain simulations. His framework enables efficient solutions for problems requiring moving grids, adaptive refinement, and coupled physics, serving as a foundation for both academic research and industrial applications in computational science.