Rate My Professor Jianzhong Su

Jianzhong Su is Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1990, with advisor Hans Felix Weinberger and dissertation titled "Delayed Oscillation Phenomena in Fitzhugh Nagumo Equation." As an applied mathematician in the Mathematics faculty, his research centers on partial differential equations, computational neuroscience, and neuronal dynamics within mathematical biology. Su's work explores synaptic plasticity, neuropharmacology, synapses, electrophysiology, neurotransmission, numerical modeling, numerical analysis, and mathematical modeling of neurophysiological processes.

Su's scholarly contributions include key publications such as "Attenuation Coefficients of Tubular Conduits for Liquid Phase Absorbance Measurement: Shot Noise Limited Optimum Path Length" (Analytical Chemistry, 2019), "Transitioning from acute to chronic pain: a simulation study of trajectories of low back pain" (PLoS One, 2019), "Dynamics of neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex under magnetic flow effect" (Nonlinear Dynamics, 2018), and contributions to Brain Informatics proceedings (2018). His research has accumulated over 1,200 citations. At UTA, he has supervised twelve Ph.D. students from 2002 to 2021, fostering a robust doctoral program. Under his chairmanship, the department received the American Mathematical Society Mathematics Programs That Make a Difference Award in 2023 and the Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department Award in 2013. Su has led transformative initiatives, including NSF S-STEM programs providing scholarships to mathematics majors—a six-year, nearly $2 million grant in 2026 and prior awards over $600,000—as well as a $500,000 USDA project in 2022 to train students for climate-smart agriculture careers. His mentoring programs for underrepresented minorities and community college students have demonstrated local and national impacts, enhancing diversity and student success in Mathematics.