Daya Reddy
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Batmanathan Dayanand (Daya) Reddy (born 10 March 1953) is a South African scientist. He is Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics and served as interim Vice Chancellor (President) at the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
between March 2023 and July 2024. Reddy held the South African Research Chair in Computational and Applied Mechanics from 2007 to 2021, and is a former director of the Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics (CERECAM) there. From 2018 to 2021, he was the inaugural president of the
International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...
.


Career

After completing a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at the University of Cape Town and a PhD degree at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, Reddy pursued postdoctoral study at the
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
, then returned to Cape Town, where he migrated eventually from joint appointments in civil engineering and applied mathematics to a chair in applied mathematics. He served as dean of faculty of science at UCT for seven years from 1999, and thereafter was appointed to the South African Research Chair in Computational and Applied Mechanics. In 2018, Reddy was elected as first President of the
International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...
.


Research

Reddy's teaching and research activities reflect his multidisciplinary perspectives, which he has pursued largely through the Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics (CERECAM) at the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
, a centre comprising academic staff and their students in five different departments, straddling the engineering disciplines,
mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
, and
biomedical sciences Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...
. He has made major contributions to the analysis of problems in solid mechanics, most notably plasticity. He has developed and analysed new variational formulations, as well as associated solution algorithms, which have been implemented computationally, for both classical and gradient theories. The second area in which he has a substantial international reputation is in the development and analysis of mixed and related finite element methods. Beyond these major areas of activity, he has also made significant contributions to aspects of biomedical mechanics. He is the author, co-author or editor of over 200 publications, including two research monographs, two texts, and three edited volumes of invited papers. He has supervised to graduation 33 PhD and 36 Masters graduates, as well as 20 post-doctoral researchers. The objective of his graduate text on functional analysis was to address a great need, in providing graduate students and researchers in engineering as well as others who do not have the requisite mathematical background, with an introduction to the mathematics that is essential to the study of boundary value problems and the finite element method. The work continues to be used in universities around the world, either as recommended course text or for individual study and reference. The first edition of his research monograph, with Weimin Han, comprised a systematic treatment of mathematical aspects of classical plasticity from a modern perspective. The monograph captures the main results of the theoretical work by Reddy and co-workers, and others over a number of years, and goes on to present some new results. The second edition includes new material on single-crystal plasticity and strain-gradient plasticity, to which Reddy has made significant contributions.


Scientific leadership

Reddy was a founder member in 2003, of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), which has grown from the first institute, established in Cape Town, South Africa, to become a pan-African network with centres for graduate education, research and outreach currently in five African countries. He serves on the AIMS South Africa Council, of which he is a former chair, and is a trustee on the AIMS Trust. Reddy is a founder member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAf), and served as its President over the period 2012 - 2016. The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) is a global network of 140 member academies which work together to provide independent expert advice on scientific, technological and health issues. Reddy served, over the period 2013 - 2019 as co-chair of IAP-Policy, the arm of the IAP that mobilizes the best scientists and engineers worldwide to provide high-quality, in-depth advice to international organizations and national governments on critical scientific issues. In July 2018, Daya Reddy was elected the first president of the
International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...
, a body that has resulted from the merger of the
International Council for Science The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the advancement of science. Its members ...
(ICSU) and the
International Social Science Council The International Social Science Council (ISSC) was an international non-governmental organization promoting the social sciences, including the economic and behavioural sciences. Founded in 1952, the organization was based out of UNESCO headquar ...
, and whose membership includes national and regional scientific organizations from 140 countries and more than 40 international scientific unions and associations. The ISC catalyses international scientific collaboration and convenes scientific and policy expertise, advice and influence on issues of major concern to science and society.


Awards

Reddy has the unique distinction of being an elected fellow or member of all four South African academies: the
Academy of Science of South Africa The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is the national science academy in South Africa. It was started in 1996, and encompasses all fields of scientific work. Its legal foundation is the ''Academy of Science of South Africa Act'', Act ...
(ASSAf), by legislation of the official academy of South Africa; the South African Academy of Engineering; the
Royal Society of South Africa The Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive of ...
; and the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. He is also a Fellow of
The World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) is a North–south research partnerships, merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting more than 1,400 scientists in some 1 ...
(TWAS), of the
African Academy of Sciences The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit, pan-African learned society formed in 1985. The AAS elects fellows ( FAAS) and affiliates. The AAS also awards the Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery a ...
, and a founding Fellow of the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World (AETDEW). In 2023 he was appointed a Member of the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences The Pontifical Academy of Sciences (, ) is a Academy of sciences, scientific academy of the Vatican City, established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. Its aim is to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences and the study ...
, and in 2024 elected an International Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
. Reddy is a recipient of the degree of Doctor of Science, ''honoris causa'', from
Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...
; the Award for Research Distinction of the South African Mathematical Society; and the
Order of Mapungubwe The Order of Mapungubwe is a South African civilian honour awarded by the President of South Africa. It recognises South African citizens whose achievements have international impact and serve the interests of South Africa. It is South Africa' ...
, awarded by the President of South Africa for distinguished contributions to science. He received the Georg Forster Research Award from the
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation () is a foundation that promotes international academic cooperation between scientists and scholars from Germany and abroad. Established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, it is funded by t ...
in Germany. He was elected a Fellow of the International Association for Computational Mechanics in 2008.


References


External links

*https://www.gov.za/about-government/batmanathan-dayanand-reddy {{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Daya 1953 births Living people Academic staff of the University of Cape Town University of Cape Town alumni Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa People from Gqeberha TWAS fellows 21st-century South African engineers Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of University College London 20th-century South African engineers