NSF Taps Former Dean Juan Meza to Lead Division of Mathematical Sciences
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that they have selected former Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Applied Mathematics Professor Juan Meza as the new Division Director for the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS).
Meza was selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates after a nationwide search. His appointment was based in part on his original contributions to the field of mathematical sciences, his demonstrated leadership in academia and his record of achievement in research administration.
“It’s a great honor to have been chosen to lead the Division of Mathematical Sciences, as it has a well-established record of funding a broad and excellent set of research and educational programs,” Meza said. “I’m looking forward to helping NSF and to continue their mission of supporting outstanding basic research.”
As DMS director, Meza will administer a portfolio of programs with an annual budget in excess of $230 million. He will lead a division whose mission is to fund groundbreaking research in mathematics and statistics, and support education and training in the mathematical sciences.
I’m looking forward to helping NSF and to continue their mission of supporting outstanding basic research.
In addition to Meza’s many contributions to UC Merced, he has served on numerous federal advisory committees, including the NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee, the NSF Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Advisory Committee and the National Academies’ Board on Mathematical Sciences and their Applications. He also served as department head and senior scientist of high performance computing research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and was a distinguished member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories.
“Dr. Meza’s selection is a testament to the high regard he is held in the mathematics and science community,” Provost Tom Peterson said. “He will be, in effect, one of the primary spokespersons nationally for basic research in mathematics. His presence in Washington during this IPA assignment will also bring further national and international recognition to his home institution, UC Merced.”
In his new position, Meza will serve as an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignee, an appointment that allows him to remain a member of the UC Merced faculty while serving as DMS division director.
This is not the first time that Meza has held this type of assignment. When he worked at Sandia, he served as a detailee at Department of Energy headquarters in Washington D.C. as part of the Advanced Strategic Computing Initiative program.
“The first time I worked in D.C., it was a real learning experience,” Meza said. “It taught me much about how the federal agencies worked and how large federal programs were structured and run. I think that experience will be extremely useful as I start this new appointment."
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