Linda R. Petzold, a Mehrabian Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Santa Barbara, has been elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI) — a global academic platform for the leading scientists, engineers, and thought leaders in science, engineering, and technology.

Chosen for her professional influence and authority, Petzold’s selection followed a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation. She is one of 70 newly elected scholars from renowned universities and research institutions across more than 20 countries — including the United States, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Founded in 2015, IETI is referred to as “Noah’s Ark of Science”, because of its excellent membership which includes over a thousand academicians, university presidents, and internationally distinguished research leaders who have been awarded the most prestigious honors such as the Nobel Prize, Turing Award, and the Fields Medal. IETI’s goal is to create an ecosystem of elected Fellows as they continue to collaborate and advance their research to drive global innovation.

Honored to be acknowledged as a Distinguished Fellow, Petzold, a pioneering figure in computational science and engineering, said, “What has kept me going all these years is the joy of discovery — the moment when a difficult problem finally yields, and you realize you’ve contributed something meaningful to science. But just as important are the people: the students, collaborators, and colleagues who challenge and inspire me every day. To be recognized by my peers in this way is deeply humbling. It reaffirms my belief in the power of rigorous, collaborative science to drive progress.”

Petzold is internationally recognized for her foundational work in the numerical solution of differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). To translate theory into broad impact, she developed the widely used public-domain software — DASSL (Differential Algebraic System Solver) and its successor DASPK — tools which have helped in resolving a number of science and engineering issues. In fact, it was for this work that she became the first ever recipient of the J. H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software in 1991.

Through teaching and leadership, Petzold has helped shape computational science education, mentored generations of students, and fostered interdisciplinary research at UCSB. Her research is focused on mathematical modeling, analysis, simulation and software, and how they can be applied to multiscale, networked systems in biology, materials, and social networks. Her modeling work spans a broad array of applications ranging from biological systems (cell polarization, biochemical networks, circadian rhythms) to neuroscience (neural network dynamics, brain-disorder modeling), medicine (trauma, coagulopathy), ecology, materials science, and more. Through this, she has helped build computational bridges between mathematics, engineering, biology, medicine, and data analysis.

Over her long and distinguished career, Petzold — currently the Director of the Computational Science and Engineering Graduate Emphasis at UCSB, has earned many prestigious honors including election to the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences. She has also received the SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering, the Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession by SIAMs, and the IEEE Computer Society Sidney Fernbach Award for pioneering contributions to numerical methods and software for differential-algebraic systems and discrete stochastic simulation. Petzold is also a fellow of several prominent professional societies, including the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).