Professor Daya Reddy will serve as the president of the International Science Council for the next three years.

Renowned mathematician Professor Daya Reddy has been elected as the first president of the newly formed International Science Council (ISC).

The ISC is a new global organisation representing more than 180 scientific bodies across the globe, and is the only non-governmental global entity representing both the natural and social sciences. The new council resulted from the merging of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and the International Council for Science (ICSU).

The ISC will develop an impact-oriented agenda focusing on science for policy and policy for science, with a mind to enabling international research coordination to contribute more effectively to major issues across the globe.

“I am honoured by the confidence ISC members have placed in me at this historic juncture for international science.”

Reddy, who is a professor of applied mathematics at UCT and holds the SARChI Chair in Computational Mechanics, was elected at the council’s founding general assembly, which was held in Paris this week. He will serve in the position for three years.

Accepting the role, Reddy spoke to the importance of inclusiveness, of involving all regions of the world in the work of the new council. He also called for early career scientists to be involved in partnerships and agenda setting.

“I am honoured by the confidence ISC members have placed in me at this historic juncture for international science,” he said.

“Our task is daunting, but unity is strength and I am confident that the combined forces of our membership across all scientific disciplines will enable us to meet the ambitious goal we have, to assert ourselves as the global voice for science.”

Reddy’s research interests lie in the fields of mathematical modelling, analysis and simulation in mechanics. He has contributed significantly to theories of complex material behaviour, and to the development of stable and convergent methods of computational approximation.

He also maintains an active engagement in biomechanics, including research into aspects of cardiovascular mechanics.

Story:   Kate-Lyn Moore

Photo:  Michael Hammond.