Ivo and Renata Babuška Thesis Prize

Scholarship Sponsored by American Mathematical Society

Introduction
The Ivo and Renata Babuka Thesis Prize is presented each year to the author of an exceptional Ph.D. dissertation in mathematics that is interdisciplinary in scope and may have applications beyond mathematics.

About Ivo and Renata Babuka
Ivo Babuka (1926–2023) was a Czech-American mathematician celebrated for his contributions to both theoretical and applied mathematics, particularly numerical methods, the finite element method, and computational mechanics. His distinctions include five honorary doctorates, the Czechoslovak State Prize for Mathematics, the Leroy P. Steele Prize, the Birkhoff Prize, the Humboldt Award (Federal Republic of Germany), the John von Neumann Medal, the Neuron Prize (Czech Republic), the ICAM Congress Medal (Newton–Gauss), the Bolzano Medal, and the Honorary Medal De Scientia Et Humanitate Optime Meritis. The International Astronomical Union named asteroid 36060 Babuška in his honor.

Ivo served as a Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and later held the Robert B. Trull Chair in Engineering. He was TICAM Senior Research Scientist and a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin with appointments in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and in Mathematics. He was a Fellow of SIAM, ACM, and ICAM; a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering; a member of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Sciences of Texas; a member of the European Academy of Sciences; and an honorary Foreign Member of the Czech Learned Society.

Renata Babuka (née Mikuláek), Ivo’s wife and partner of 63 years, was raised in Prague and earned a degree in Mathematical Statistical Engineering from Charles University in 1953. After graduating she worked in the Education Department assessing universities and technical schools, and two years later became an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Czech Technical University. Following the family’s move to the United States, Renata worked as a data and computing management consultant for various government agencies in Washington, D.C. She often remarked that “behind every successful man is a strong woman,” and Ivo frequently acknowledged that he could not have achieved so much without her support.

Purpose and Funding
The prize was established to encourage interdisciplinary doctoral research that brings mathematicians, engineers, and physicists together and that demonstrates practical impact. The award is administered consistent with AMS Prizes and Awards governance and practices in force at the time of selection. The current award amount is US$3,000.

Recent Award
2026 — Tianyun Tang received the 2026 Ivo and Renata Babuka Thesis Prize for the doctoral dissertation titled "Feasible Methods for Solving Low-Rank SDP Problems."

Important Dates
- Next presentation: January 2027 (at the Joint Mathematics Meetings)
- Nomination window for that cycle: February 1 – June 30, 2026

Eligibility and Nomination Requirements
- Eligible dissertations: Ph.D. degrees awarded between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the nomination year (i.e., between July 1 of year −1 and June 30 of year 0 for the year of nomination/selection). The prize is presented at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in January of year +1.
- Nominating institution: must be a Ph.D.-granting institution that is either located in the United States or, if outside the U.S., an institutional member of the American Mathematical Society at the time the nomination is submitted.
- Each eligible institution may submit only one thesis nomination.
- Submission materials: the nominating institution must supply a copy of the Ph.D. thesis and a supporting letter; both documents must be in English.
- Selection: the AMS President will appoint a committee to evaluate nominations and select the recipient.

For further procedural details, follow the AMS announcement and submission instructions for the applicable nomination cycle.