Tanya L. Leise (died January 18, 2023) was an American biomathematician specializing in the mathematical modeling of

circadian rhythm A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural oscillation that repeats roughly every 24 hours. Circadian rhythms can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., Endogeny (biology), endogenous) and responds to the env ...

s and related phenomena such as

jet lag Jet lag is a temporary physiological condition that occurs when a person's circadian rhythm is out of sync with the time zone they are in, and is a typical result from travelling rapidly across multiple time zones (east–west or west–east). ...

and

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...

. She was a professor of mathematics at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

Education and career

Leise was a 1993 graduate of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. She went to

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

for graduate study, completing a Ph.D. there in 1998. Her dissertation, ''An Analog to the Dirichlet-to-Nuemann Map and Its Application to Dynamic Elastic Fracture'', was supervised by Jay R. Walton. After working as a visiting lecturer at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, she joined the faculty of the

Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) is a private university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1874 and houses twelve academic departments with over thirty undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, en ...

in 1999. She moved to Amherst as a visiting assistant professor in 2004, obtained a regular-rank faculty position in 2007, and was promoted to full professor in 2018. She died of cancer on January 18, 2023.

Service

Leise was co-chair of the Joint Committee on Women in the Mathematical Sciences, sponsored by a group of seven major mathematical societies, from 2011 to 2014. She has also chaired the Amherst Ranked-Choice Voting Commission.

Recognition

Leise was a winner of the 2008

Lester R. Ford Award ''The American Mathematical Monthly'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics. It was established by Benjamin Finkel in 1894 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It is an expositor ...

of 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 ...

for her paper with her husband, psychologist Andrew Cohen, "Nonlinear oscillators at our fingertips".

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leise, Tanya Year of birth missing 20th-century births 2023 deaths 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians Stanford University alumni Texas A&M University alumni Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology Amherst College faculty 20th-century American women mathematicians 21st-century American women mathematicians