Abba Gumel


Abba Gumel is a Distinguished University Professor and The Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed E-Nnovate Chair in Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park. His research, which spans three main areas of applied mathematics, is focused on the use of mathematical modeling and rigorous approaches, together with statistical analysis, to gain insight into the dynamics of real-life phenomena arising in the natural and engineering sciences. The main emphasis of Gumel's work is on the mathematical theory of epidemics – specifically, he uses mathematical theories and methodologies to gain insights into the qualitative behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems arising from the mathematical modelling of phenomena in the natural and engineering sciences, with emphasis on the transmission dynamics and control of emerging and re-emerging human infectious diseases of public health and socio-economic interest.

Biography

Gumel was a Foundation Professor of Mathematics at the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, before becoming The Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed E-Nnovate Chair in Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park in 2022.
Professor Gumel is an elected Fellow of, American Mathematical Society (AMS),, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS),,, and the .
In 2021, Professor Gumel was chosen to give the AM of the American Mathematical Society. Gumel was named Extraordinary Professor at the, University of Pretoria and adjunct professor at the, Canada.
Gumel has written over 50, four edited books, and several book chapters.

Books

  • Mathematical and Computational Modeling of Phenomena Arising in Population Biology and Nonlinear Oscillations. Contemporary Mathematics Series, American Mathematical Society. Volume 793, 2024.
  • Mathematics of Continuous and Discrete Dynamical Systems. Contemporary Mathematics Series, American Mathematical Society. Volume 618, 2014.
  • Modeling Paradigms and Analysis of Disease Transmission Models. DIMACS Series in Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. Volume 75. American Mathematical Society, 2010
  • Mathematical Studies on Human Disease Dynamics: Emerging Paradigms and Challenges. American Mathematical Society Contemporary Mathematics Series, Volume 410,, 2006.

Promotion of biomedical sciences in Nigeria

In 2014, Professor Gumel became one of eight US-based scientists who signed a memorandum of understanding with seven Nigerian universities aimed at helping them build world-class capacity in biomedical sciences research and pedagogy.

Awards and recognition

  • Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics, 2025
  • Elected Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, Class of 2024.
  • 2023 Arthur Beaumont Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society. This award is in recognition of my ``outstanding service to CAIMS as Secretary, Director, and Chair of Membership, Publications and Doctoral Dissertation Awards Committees, as two-time organizer of the annual meeting, organizer of summer schools and workshops, for initiating and contributing to the creation of the Annual Meeting Handbook, and for being an exemplary ambassador for Canadian Applied Mathematics through multiple international recognitions and leadership in international development projects".
  • Named to the 2022 class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ``For distinguished contributions to mathematical biology, particularly the modeling and analysis of epidemics and other global public health challenges, and to the advancement of mathematics on the African continent"
  • Named to the 2023 class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society, "for contributions to the mathematical theory of epidemics, applied dynamical systems, and promoting the use of mathematics to help solve global public health challenges".
  • Named to the 2022 class of Fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, "for stellar contributions to mathematical biology, particularly the modeling of epidemics, and applications to other public health problems".
  • Winner of 2021 Bellman Prize
  • Selected to give The AMS Einstein Public Lecture in Mathematics
  • Appointed Founding Fellow, ASU-Santa Fe Institute Center for Biosocial Complex Systems
  • Appointed Extraordinary Professor, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • Merit Award for research excellence in 2011, given by the University of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba Faculty Association. Eight awards are given each year, under the research category, throughout the campus
  • Merit Award for research excellence in 2010, given by the University of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba Faculty Association
  • Elected Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science : 2010
  • Elected Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences : 2009
  • Received the 2009 Dr. Lindsay E. Nicolle Award for the best paper published in the ''Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology''