Daniel B. Szyld

Professor
Temple University
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Biography:

Daniel B. Szyld was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Neither of his parents finished college,
but they encouraged their children to obtain an advanced education. Szyld attended public school and
went to the University of Buenos Aires for his undergraduate studies in Mathematics. He obtained his
Ph.D. at the Courant Institute at New York University under the direction of Olof Widlund.
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While a graduate student, Szyld worked full time at the Institute for Economic Analysis, whose Director
was Wasily Leontief, a Nobel Prize winner. Szyld's work was on Numerical Analysis, and Numerical
Linear Algebra. Once he received his Ph.D. degree in 1983, Szyld had to decide which direction to follow:
a career doing economic modeling, or one in Numerical Linear Algebra (NLA). He chose the latter, and
eventually landed his first job as Assistant Professor at Duke University.
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Duke did not renew his tenure-track contract after his first three years, in large part because he refused to
accept military funding for his research. With the support of the NLA community, he was hired as
Associate Professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, where his career continued to thrive. Szyld has
been very happy at Temple, teaching a diverse student body, and in particular Latino students. Szyld is
proud to be a Latino mathematician, and he constantly encourages Hispanic and Latin American students
to strive for success, especially in the sciences.
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Szyld's research has ranged from Applied Linear Algebra to mathematical modeling, to several aspects of
Numerical Linear Algebra. In particular, he has worked on various methods for the solution of large and
sparse linear systems of equations, on the analysis of their convergence, and strategies for accelerating
their convergence both in sequential and parallel computing environments. He has had almost 120 coauthors
from 25 countries. He has been proud to serve the mathematical community in multiple
capacities: as editor of many journals (twice as editor-in-chief), as Vice-President (at Large) of SIAM, and
as President of the International Linear Algebra Society. Szyld firmly believes in serving the common
good in many forms, such as advancing research, helping others in the profession as a mentor or a senior
colleague, or participating in editorial and institutional activities.

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“In my view, Latino Heritage Month is a valuable way of highlighting our collective contribution to society.
It is also an opportunity to showcase role models for the younger generation.”

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