As stated in the July 2017 issue of the ICIAM newsletter, professor Ya-xiang Yuan was elected as the ICIAM President for 2019-2023 (President-Elect, 2017-2019) at the annual ICIAM Board Meeting in Valencia, Spain on May 20. Professor Ya-xiang Yuan is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and a faculty of CAS Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science. It is the first time that a Chinese scientist holds such an important position in an international applied mathematics organization. The election shows the recognition of China's great achievements in applied mathematics.

Founded in 1987, the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) is a worldwide organization for professional applied mathematics societies, and for other societies with a significant interest in industrial or applied mathematics. The Council works to advance the applications of mathematics in all parts of the world. Currently the membership of ICIAM consists of 21 full members and 27 associated members. The China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CSIAM) is a full member.

Ya-xiang Yuan graduated from Xiangtan University in 1981, and obtained his Ph.D. at University of Cambridge in 1986. He is a winner of the National Natural Science Award of China (Second Grade), the TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences) Prize in Mathematics, and the Feng Kang Prize. Ya-xiang Yuan delivered a plenary lecture at the 4th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and a 45-minute invited lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Seoul. He is also a SIAM Fellow (2011), an AMS Fellow (2012), a TWAS Fellow (2014), and a Corresponding Member of Brazilian Academy of Sciences (2014). Besides, Ya-xiang Yuan was elected president of the Chinese Mathematical Society in 2015, and vice president of the China Association for Science and Technology in 2016. Ya-xiang Yuan has played an active and important role in China's industrial and applied mathematics field. He used to be a vice president of the International Federation of Operational Research, the president of the Asia-Pacific Operational Research Society, the president of the Chinese Operational Research Society, a vice president of the 3rd and 4th CSIAM council, and a member of the Scientific Program Committee of the 8th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics. For more information, please refer to his homepage.

(By CSIAM Office)