Dr. Der-Chen Chang is the Robert and Catherine McDevitt Chair in Mathematics and Computer Science. He also serves as the Senior Advisor to the Provost for China initiatives.

Der-Chen is a prolific writer who has published six books and over 220 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He serves as chief editor of one academic journal, Applied Analysis and Optimizations, and associate editor of eight more in the field of mathematics. Additionally, Der-Chen has been a visiting professor at ten international institutions in five countries, where he has earned numerous awards for his service and teaching.

Table of Contents:

1:22: How did you first acquire the interest that motivated you to pursue mathematics.

2:19: Was it the applicability of mathematics to practical problems or the language which most drew you?

3:09: What has your intellectual journey been like?

5:17: How did your mentor have an impact on your life?

7:03: Tell us a little more about how you see mathematics?

8:37: Within the field, is it common to move back and forth between applied and theory?

10:34: Could you tell us a little about how you do your work and your research life?

12:55: How do you handle when you’ve gotten stuck on something?

13:48: How do you juggle all of your competing responsibilities?

15:02: Have you found that teaching gives you ideas for future papers or books? Is it a source of inspiration?

17:30: How do you decide when its time to create a book length product?

20:14: What audience do you think of for your books?

20:37: What advice do you have for younger colleagues?

22:23: How do you choose the next problem to work on?

24:58: What is the most exciting thing you are working on now?

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