An honorable recognition

UM mathematician receives James W. McLamore Outstanding Service Award
robert cantrell

Every year the Faculty Senate Awards acknowledges the work and service of outstanding University of Miami faculty members. This year, Dr. Robert Stephen Cantrell, professor and chair of the Mathematics Department, was the recipient of the honorable James W. McLamore Outstanding Service Award, which recognizes his services above and beyond the call of duty.

robert cantrell awardAn applied mathematician whose work is focused on spatial models in ecology, Dr. Cantrell has more than 30 years of experience in the field of mathematics and is the author of 99 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Cantrell joined the University of Miami in 1982, and throughout his career has worked as a leader, ranging from serving as President of the Delta of Florida Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, to serving as a member of the Canterbury Preschool Board of Directors, and as Chair of numerous Faculty Senate committees.

He also was a co-recipient of a Simons Foundation Award that helped launch the Institute of the Mathematical Sciences of the Americas (IMSA) in which he serves as the director.

“IMSA is an asset for the South Florida community and a part of elevating the cultural institutions here in Miami,” said Dr. Cantrell. “As the Institute’s director, I hope to leave a legacy for the University of Miami. Receiving this recognition from the Faculty Senate was big surprise, but I am truly and deeply honored.”

Dr. Cantrell is a co-author of the book Spatial Ecology via Reaction-Diffusion Equations and an associate editor of Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering. The current focus of his work concerns building a bridge between mathematical and biological aspects of animal movement in dynamic landscapes. This bridge will strengthen understanding of how different types of animal movement behavior influence the performance and persistence of species and the outcomes of species interactions.

Cantrell’s commitment to research and scholarship remains strong as evidenced in journal articles and citations and research grants from the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. His work has been continuously funded by the US National Science Foundation since 1988, and from 2015 to 2017 he was a Top Level Foreign Expert at Renmin University of China under the aegis of the Chinese Ministry of Education and Renmin University.