Lesley Ward facts for kids

Lesley Ann Ward is a brilliant Australian mathematician. She is an expert in different areas of math, like harmonic analysis (which studies waves and signals) and complex analysis (which deals with complex numbers). She also uses math to solve real-world problems in industries. Dr. Ward is a professor at the University of South Australia. She also leads the Mathematics Clinic there, which helps businesses use math. She used to be in charge of the Women in Mathematics Group in Australia.

Lesley's Journey in Math

Early Education and University Life

Lesley Ann Ward loved math from a young age. She earned her first degree in mathematics in 1987. This was at the Australian National University (ANU). While at ANU, she was even the president of the Students' Association.

After ANU, she went to Yale University in the United States. She studied there to get her advanced degrees. She also visited the Mittag-Leffler Institute as a student. Dr. Ward completed her highest degree, a doctorate, from Yale in 1994. Her main teacher for this was Peter Jones.

Teaching and Research Roles

After finishing her studies, Dr. Ward worked at Rice University. This was from 1994 to 1997. During this time, she also had a special research position at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in 1995.

Later, she joined the math team at Harvey Mudd College. In 2006, she moved back to Australia. She became a professor at the University of South Australia.

Important Math Work

Books and Web Algorithms

With another mathematician named Cristina Pereyra, Dr. Ward wrote a book. It is called Harmonic Analysis: from Fourier to Wavelets. This book helps students learn about how waves and signals can be broken down into simpler parts. It was published in 2012 by the American Mathematical Society.

She has also published important research about how search engines work. This includes her work on the HITS algorithm. This algorithm helps to figure out which web pages are most important by looking at how they link to each other.

Awards and Recognition

Honored for Teaching and Support

In 2006, Dr. Ward won the Henry L. Alder Award. This award is from the Mathematical Association of America. She received it for being an excellent teacher to college students who were just starting their math studies.

In 2019, she was recognized by the Association for Women in Mathematics. She became a fellow of this group. This honor was given to her for her strong dedication to helping women in math. It also recognized her work in guiding others in research and making math a more welcoming field for everyone. She also led the Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group in Australia.