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CGrADS Site Visit Participant - Donald Williams


Educational Background

  • Presently, doctoral candidate in department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University.
  • M.A. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University, 1999
  • M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, 1991
  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University, 1989.

Donald Williams
Graduate Student, Computational & Applied Mathematics
Rice University

Phone: (713) 348-2859
donald@rice.edu
Research Co-Advisors: Richard A. Tapia and Jeff Fleming


Research Experience:

I am presently working on a research thesis under the co-direction of Richard A. Tapia and Jeff Fleming. My dissertation is in the area of computational finance addressing the topic of "Valuing American Options under Stochastic Volatility." Mathematical components of work include the numerical solution of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and nonlinear optimization.

(September 1999-May 2000) Houston Independent School District, Houston, TX. Mathematics instructor in Algebra I and Algebra II courses at Sharpstown High School.

(Summers 1995-1999)Center for Research on Parallel Computation, Houston, TX. Designed and developed optimization software for large-scale geophysical inverse problems using C++ within a Unix environment ('97-99). Investigated and analyzed the dynamics of a new mathematical models for membrane mechanics in biological applications ('95-96).

(Summer 1994) Los Alamos National Laboratory: Engineering Science and Applications, Los Alamos, NM. Developed a software application for simulating the dynamics of spatial loose-parts mechanical systems using FORTRAN, C, and OpenGL.

(1991-1993) Los Alamos National Laboratory: Advanced Engineering Technology, Los Alamos, NM. Investigated new direct numerical algorithms for the control of robotic components. Designed and implemented prototype dynamical analysis software using FORTRAN and C.


Publications:

  1. Efficient Implementations of Interior-Point Optimization Methods for Constrained Nonlinear Seismic Traveltime Tomography. The Rice Inversion Project (TRIP) Annual Report, Rice University, Houston, TX, 1998.
  2. Determining Depth Function for Marine Streamer via Interior-Point Optimization. TRIP Annual Report, Rice University, Houston, TX, 1998.
  3. A Comparison of the Dynamic Stiffness of the Goldcrown GC-500 Grinding Machine for Three Slide Design. (with J. G. Bennett, P. Goldman, and C. R. Farrar), Technical Report #LA-12705-MS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 1994.

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Awards and Honors:

  • Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Honor Society
  • Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society
  • GEM Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Rice University Graduate Student Fellowship
  • Benjamin Banneker Honors College, Prairie View A&M University

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Professional Activities:

  • Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)