Tim Sullivan

Short Curriculum Vitae

General Information

Name Tim Sullivan
Position and Affiliation Associate Professor in Predictive Modelling, Mathematics Institute and School of Engineering, University of Warwick
Address University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
Phone +44 24 7615 0294
Email t.j.sullivan (at) warwick.ac.uk
Website warwick.ac.uk/tjsullivan

Appointments and Positions

2022–present Mathematics Institute and School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Associate Professor in Predictive Modelling
2021–2023 Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
Turing Fellow
2020–2022 Mathematics Institute and School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Assistant Professor in Predictive Modelling
2015–2021 Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), Berlin, Germany
Research Group Leader for Uncertainty Quantification
2015–2020 Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Junior Professor (W1) in Applied Mathematics, with Specialism in Risk and Uncertainty Quantification (Zwischenevaluierung 2018)
2012–2015 Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Warwick Zeeman Lecturer (Assistant Professor)
2013–2014 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Visiting Associate in Computing and Mathematical Sciences
2012 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Senior Postdoctoral Scholar in Applied & Computational Mathematics and the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories
2009–2012 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Postdoctoral Scholar in Applied & Computational Mathematics and the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories
Postdoctoral Advisors: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Ortiz, PSAAP Center director, and Prof. Dr. Houman Owhadi, PSAAP Uncertainty Quantification group leader

Higher Education, Scientific Degrees, and Professional Certification

2022 Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
2005–2009 Ph.D. in Mathematics by Research, University of Warwick, UK
Doctoral Thesis: Analysis of Gradient Descents in Random Energies and Heat Baths
Advisor: Dr. Florian Theil. Examiners: Prof. Dr. Valery P. Smyshlyaev (University of Bath, UK) and Prof. Dr. Andrew M. Stuart (University of Warwick, UK)
2000–2004 Master of Mathematics (Class I), University of Warwick, UK
Advisors: Dr. Luca Sbano, academic tutor, and Prof. Dr. Gero Friesecke (Technische Universität München), dissertation advisor

Selected Publications

See also this list of academic publications.

  1. F. Schäfer, T. J. Sullivan, and H. Owhadi. “Compression, inversion, and approximate PCA of dense kernel matrices at near-linear computational complexity.” Multiscale Modeling & Simulation: A SIAM Interdisciplinary Journal 19(2):688–730, 2021. doi:10.1137/19M129526X
  2. J. Cockayne, C. J. Oates, T. J. Sullivan, and M. Girolami. “Bayesian probabilistic numerical methods.” SIAM Review 61(4):756–789, 2019. doi:10.1137/17M1139357
  3. H. C. Lie, T. J. Sullivan, and A. L. Teckentrup. “Random forward models and log-likelihoods in Bayesian inverse problems.” SIAM/ASA Journal on Uncertainty Quantification 6(4):1600–1629, 2018. doi:10.1137/18M1166523
  4. J. Cockayne, C. J. Oates, T. J. Sullivan, and M. Girolami. “Probabilistic numerical methods for PDE-constrained Bayesian inverse problems” in Proceedings of the 36th International Workshop on Bayesian Inference and Maximum Entropy Methods in Science and Engineering, ed. G. Verdoolaege. AIP Conference Proceedings 1853:060001-1–060001-8, 2017. doi:10.1063/1.4985359
  5. T. J. Sullivan. Introduction to Uncertainty Quantification, volume 63 of Texts in Applied Mathematics. Springer, 2015. ISBN 978-3-319-23394-9 (hardcover), 978-3-319-23395-6 (e-book). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-23395-6
  6. H. Owhadi, C. Scovel, and T. J. Sullivan. “On the brittleness of Bayesian inference.” SIAM Review 57(4):566–582, 2015. doi:10.1137/130938633
  7. H. Owhadi, C. Scovel, and T. J. Sullivan. “Brittleness of Bayesian inference under finite information in a continuous world.” Electronic Journal of Statistics 9(1):1–79, 2015. doi:10.1214/15-EJS989
  8. T. J. Sullivan, M. McKerns, D. Meyer, F. Theil, H. Owhadi, and M. Ortiz. “Optimal uncertainty quantification for legacy data observations of Lipschitz functions.” ESAIM. Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis 47(6):1657–1689, 2013. doi:10.1051/m2an/2013083
  9. H. Owhadi, C. Scovel, T. J. Sullivan, M. McKerns, and M. Ortiz. “Optimal Uncertainty Quantification.” SIAM Review 55(2):271–345, 2013. doi:10.1137/10080782X
  10. M. M. McKerns, L. Strand, T. J. Sullivan, A. Fang, and M. A. G. Aivazis. “Building a Framework for Predictive Science” in Proceedings of the 10th Python in Science Conference (SciPy 2011), June 2011, ed. S. van der Walt and J. Millman. 67–78, 2011. doi:10.25080/Majora-ebaa42b7-00d

Other Academic Achievements and Activities

See also this list of conferences, talks, and other academic gatherings.

2021–present Co-director of the Warwick Centre for Predictive Modelling at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
2020–present Member of the management team of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Modelling of Heterogeneous Systems at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
2019–present Associate Editor, SIAM/ASA Journal on Uncertainty Quantification
2018–2020 Associated Investigator in the Excellence Cluster “MATH+ The Berlin Mathematics Research Centre”
2018–2021 Co-chair with Prof. Dr. Claudia Schillings (Mannheim) of the GAMM Activity Group on Uncertainty Quantification
2017–2018 Co-leader with Prof. Dr. Chris. J. Oates (Newcastle) of SAMSI Working Group II Probabilistic Numerics
2016–present Faculty of the Berlin Mathematical School
2015 University of Warwick Mathematics Institute Teaching Prize
2012–2015 Member of Science Faculty Undergraduate Studies Committee, Science Faculty and Mathematics Department First Year Boards of Examiners, and Mathematics Department Graduate Studies Committee at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Misc. Organiser or co-organiser of various scientific workshops, including Oberwolfach Workshop 1911 Uncertainty Quantification 2019, ProbNum 2018, the Third Annual Caltech Solid Mechanics Symposium 2012; and minisymposia at SIAM UQ20, SIAM UQ18, SIAM UQ16, and SIAM CSE13