UCI assistant professor of math Yifeng Yu has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, one of the most prestigious awards available to a young faculty member. Recipients are “junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.” Yu, who came to UCI in 2008, will get more than $400,000 for a project on nonlinear partial differential equations theory and its applications in science and engineering, such as optimal control and combustion. In particular, he will study how to predict turbulent flame speed and intensity. The project involves using mathematics to help combustion science and engineering – with implications for clean energy – as well as furthering the education of the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math professionals. Besides supervising graduate students, Yu will participate in several well-established educational programs at UCI, including California Mathcounts, the Irvine Area Math Modelers, the SURF program and the Freshman Seminar Program. “I am extremely grateful to receive this award, which will let me continue my research and teaching,” Yu said.