Welcome to the CAAM Department
Department Information
Departmental Chair:
- Danny C. Sorensen
Mailing Address:
- Dept. of Computational &
- Applied Mathematics (CAAM)
- Rice University
- 6100 Main St. - MS 134
- Houston, TX 77005-1892
- [ Map ]
- Office: Duncan Hall 2117
- Phone: (713) 348-4805
- Fax: (713) 348-5318
- E-Mail: caam@caam.rice.edu
Visiting the Campus:
Applied analysis and computation are essential to research in virtually every field of science and engineering. Modern engineering is, to a large extent, computational engineering. 
Computational and applied mathematics (CAAM) is the fundamental discipline that underlies practice and intellectual advancement in mathematical modeling, applied analysis, The development and analysis of numerical algorithms, and the implementation and dissemination of mathematical software. CAAM provides a key enabling technology for all aspects of computational engineering and numerical simulation.
The CAAM faculty at Rice are leading researchers with international reputations. There are cutting edge research activities in inverse problems, discrete and continuous optimization, computational neuroscience, partial differential equations (PDE), PDE constrained optimization, and large scale numerical linear algebra. Our work is often highly interdisciplinary and involves interaction with all of the other departments within the School of Engineering.
Rice University's undergraduate program in computational and applied mathematics has a structure that allows students considerable freedom to meet their individual needs and interests. Students who intend to continue for an advanced degree usually take more than the minimum requirements, strengthening their mastery of certain fields of interest. Some select CAAM as a second technical major, supplementing an engineering, economics, or science curriculum. Others combine the program with a non-technical major (such as history, fine arts, literature, languages, or political science), allowing them to pursue personal intellectual interests while honing their mathematical abilities for a technical career in research or industry. Other students find the sound intellectual experience of a CAAM undergraduate major strong preparation for professional school in medicine, law, or business. Whatever the final destination, many students supplement and enrich their classroom work through undergraduate research during the school year and summer.
Our department is home to a lively graduate community. Graduate work in CAAM involves intensive course study in small classes, close interaction with professors, immediate opportunities to participate in seminars and to engage in research projects. We have weekly colloquia featuring experts from leading universities and research laboratories who describe their recent work in critical research areas. We also have a weekly lunch-time seminar for student presentations.