Mathematics and Statistics Names New Chair
Professor Daniel Ashlock named Chair, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, at the University of Guelph.
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences have named Dr. Daniel Ashlock as Chair, Mathematics and Statistics, following a competitive search process that began earlier this year. Ashlock began a five-year term effective July 1, 2021.
The announcement was made in June by Dr. Gerarda Darlington, interim dean (CEPS), who chaired the search committee.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Dan as interim chair for the past several months, and I look forward to continuing to work together in this important leadership role,” says Darlington.
“Dan brings forward a keen interest in collaboration and interdisciplinary connections, as well as a breadth of valuable perspectives alongside his teaching and research experiences.”
Ashlock has been a full professor with U of G since 2007. He uses computational intelligence, particularly evolutionary computation, to solve a broad range of problems. His work spans disciplines including mathematics, statistics, computer science, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence (AI), art, biology, and video games. He also has numerous collaborations with industrial partners and other research institutions. Last year, Ashlock received funding for and was featured by local news media for his collaborative research into vaccine deployment strategies using AI.
“I would like to thank my colleagues and department students for their engagement in this process, as well as the selection committee,” says Ashlock. “My focus during my term is to enhance outreach, recruitment, external revenue, and support our commitment to equity and diversity.”
“Most pressing is this fall and the increase in on-campus activity. I want to empower our teaching faculty and capitalize on some successes from the past year while supporting our community through the transition back to more in-person activity.”
Ashlock received his PhD in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology. He spent 13 years at Iowa State University, working in the Mathematics, Bioinformatics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Complex Adaptive Systems programs prior to joining U of G in 2004 as associate professor. Throughout his career, Ashlock has received numerous awards for his teaching and research achievements, including the 2019 CEPS Excellence in Undergraduate Supervision Award.
Ashlock holds several external appointments, including associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, Biosystems, the IEEE Transactions on Games, and the IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics; as well as involvement in conference planning.
Ashlock has proven to be a champion for mathematics education with an interest in ensuring our society has solid foundational mathematical skills. He writes a weekly blog for individuals interested in learning more about math or apprehensive about diving into math education.