College Station, August 6, 2021, The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) has named Dr. Simon Foucart, Professor of Mathematics and Presidential Impact Fellow, as its Associate Director for External Academic Engagement. In this role, Foucart will lead TAMIDS activities to promote the growth of external research engagements in Data Science at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Foucart joins the TAMIDS leadership team with Dr. Nick Duffield, TAMIDS Director and Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor I in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Dr. Yu Ding, TAMIDS Associate Director for Research Engagement and Mike and Sugar Barnes Professor in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering.
Foucart will develop new programs to promote engagement between TAMIDS, Texas A&M researchers, and external collaborators, including an academic visitor program to attract researchers who can contribute to TAMIDS research programs and collaborate with TAMU Data Science researchers.
According to TAMIDS Director Dr. Nick Duffield, “As one of TAMU’s leading researchers in the foundations of Data Science and with many collaborations, Simon Foucart is well-placed to lead the development of new relationships with external researchers and peer institutes. I am very pleased to welcome Simon to the TAMIDS leadership team”.
After earning a Masters of Engineering from Ecole Centrale Paris, Simon Foucart received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 2006. He held postdoctoral positions at Vanderbilt University and Paris 6 University before joining Drexel University in 2010 and subsequently moving to the University of Georgia in 2013. Since 2015, he has been with Texas A&M University, where he became Professor and Presidential Impact Fellow in 2019. He also held short-term visiting appointments at University of Bonn, University of South Florida, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, CNRS Toulouse, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Foucart’s most influential work to date revolves around the field of Compressive Sensing. His contribution was recognized by the 2010 Best Paper Award from the Journal of Complexity. His current interests include the mathematical aspects of Metagenomics, Optimization, Deep Learning, and Data Science at large. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Approximation Theory, the Journal of Numerical Mathematics, and of Sampling Theory, Signal Processing, and Data Analysis.
In addition to more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles, Dr. Foucart has written two graduate-level textbooks: ‘A Mathematical Introduction to Compressive Sensing’ (with Holger Rauhut, Birkhauser) and ‘Mathematical Pictures at a Data Science Exhibition’ (to appear, Cambridge University Press).