Petronela Radu, professor in and chair of the Department of Mathematics, was selected as a Fellow in the National Science Foundation-funded Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) program.
"I am honored to be selected as an ARIS Fellow through the NSF-funded ARIS program," Radu said, "which plays a vital role in advancing the broader impacts of STEM research. I look forward to collaborating with fellow scholars and program mentors as we work together to strengthen the societal relevance and reach of academic work."
ARIS provides its more than 1,800 members from around the world with resources and opportunities to bring together communities and researchers for positive societal impact. During the year-long program, Radu and the other fellows will receive personalized guidance to expand their innovation and leadership in Broader Impacts initiatives at their institutions.
Radu's research explores analytical and modeling aspects of real-world phenomena—such as dynamic fracture, diffusion, fluid dynamics, traffic, and wave propagation—as well as applications in areas such as image processing and neural networks in artificial intelligence. She developed and teaches the award-winning course Math in the City, a hands-on application of mathematical modeling that explores current social issues.
"As the U.S. advances toward an increasingly technological economy and society," Radu said, "it is essential that we not only prepare our students for this future, but also actively engage with our surrounding communities to demonstrate the relevance and impact of STEM.
"Through the Math in the City program and other data-science oriented initiatives that I have developed with my colleagues at UNL, I’ve witnessed the powerful outcomes of partnerships between academia, national laboratories, industry, and community partners. Students gain meaningful insights into how classroom concepts apply to real-world challenges, while companies benefit from sharing their innovations, gaining fresh perspectives, and connecting with exceptional UNL talent."
Radu and the other fellows will present projects at the 2026 ARIS Summit, ending the year-long fellowship. They will also participate in ARIS programming and share their experience and tools with their local and professional communities.
She will meet other fellows and program leadership at a workshop in July.
Nathan Meier, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Development at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, served as a fellow of ARIS's 2024 Organizational Research Impact Capacity (ORIC) cohort and will attend as an invited panelist. He is currently a member of the organization's advisory board.
Radu's work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Simons and Fulbright Foundations.
