Suzanne Louise Weekes is the Chief Executive Officer of the

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is a professional society dedicated to applied mathematics, computational science, and data science through research, publications, and community. SIAM is the world's largest scientific soci ...

. She is also Professor of

Mathematical Sciences The Mathematical Sciences are a group of areas of study that includes, in addition to mathematics, those academic disciplines that are primarily mathematical in nature but may not be universally considered subfields of mathematics proper. Statisti ...

Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a Private university, private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1865, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now h ...

(WPI). She is a co-founder of the

Mathematical Sciences Research Institute The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution on the University of California campus in Berkeley, Califor ...

Undergraduate Program.

Education

Weekes is

Caribbean-American Caribbean Americans or West Indian Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to the West Indies in particular or Caribbean in general. Caribbean Americans are a multi-ethnic and multi-racial group that trace their ancestry further in tim ...

, and was born and raised in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

. She graduated in 1989 from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

with a major in

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 a minor in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

. She went on to get an MS in

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematics, mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and Industrial sector, industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a ...

in 1990 and a PhD in Mathematics and Scientific Computing in 1995 at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Career

Weekes is the co-director of the Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences, which helps faculty in the U.S. engage their students with Industrial math research. She is a professor of mathematical sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute as well as a cofounder of MSRI-UP, a research experience for undergraduates that aims to increase under represented groups in math programs by providing them with research opportunities. In July 2019, she became Interim Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at WPI. In December 2019, she was elected to the executive committee of the

Association for Women in Mathematics The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a professional society whose mission is to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences, and to promote equal opportunity for and the equal treatment o ...

as an at large member.

Awards and recognition

In 2015, Weekes received the Denise Nicoletti Trustees' Award for Service to Community. Weekes was recognized by

Mathematically Gifted & Black Mathematically Gifted & Black (MGB) is a website that features the accomplishments of black scholars in mathematical sciences. In addition to highlighting the work and lives of established mathematicians in the African Diaspora, the platform aims ...

as a Black History Month 2017 Honoree. She received the 2019

M. Gweneth Humphreys Award The M. Gweneth Humphreys Award or Humphreys Award is a mathematics award established by the Association for Women in Mathematics in recognition of mathematics educators who have exhibited outstanding mentorship. The award is named for Mabel Gweneth ...

for mentorship from the Association for Women in Mathematics. She won one of the

Deborah and Franklin Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics The Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics are awards given by the Mathematical Association of America to recognize college or university teachers "who have been widely recognized as ...

from the

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...

in 2020. She was honored as the 2022 AWM-MAA Etta Zuber Falconer Lecturer. Weekes was selected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

in the class of 2024 "for her consistent and outstanding support for broadening the participation of women and girls as well as others that are underrepresented in mathematics; for her award-winning teaching and mentoring; and for her vision and success in co-creating and co-directing innovative programs that have improved and diversified the mathematics community."

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians 20th-century American women mathematicians 21st-century American women mathematicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people Trinidad and Tobago mathematicians Trinidad and Tobago women scientists African-American mathematicians African-American women mathematicians Fellows of the Association for Women in Mathematics Indiana University Bloomington alumni University of Michigan alumni {{US-mathematician-stub