Greg Forest wins 2024 Jefferson Award

Greg Forest’s initial reaction to learning he would be receiving the 2024 Thomas Jefferson Award was “Why me?”

“I’m part of a community,” said the Grant Dahlstrom Distinguished Professor and director of the Carolina Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics. “I have so many partners, and I have this idea of a vision that is shaped by people I’ve met at Carolina, which is: you can’t accomplish anything without partners.”

“I’m not really a leader,” Forest added. “I’m a community-builder.”

His collaborative approach is one of the common themes woven throughout the nomination letters written by Forest’s colleagues. They lauded the way he built the University’s applied mathematics program (now the Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics) from the ground up over the past three decades.

Forest acknowledged those partners and the importance of community when he accepted the award at the joint meeting of the General Faculty and Faculty Council on Dec. 13. The Jefferson Award is presented annually to “that member of the academic community who … has best exemplified the ideals and objectives of Thomas Jefferson,” whose complex legacy includes the values of democracy, public service and the pursuit of knowledge.

“This award led me to reflect on my recipe for leadership in life and science: partners, caring for everyone in our sphere of influence, a shared vision, resources and awareness of our history,” Forest said. “As any chef will tell you, you can’t skimp on any ingredients.”

“Thank you for the honor of the Thomas Jefferson Award on behalf of all of my partners,” Forest added.

Carolina recruited Forest in the mid-1990s to establish an innovative program to mathematize challenges in areas ranging from material sciences to medicine. He brings together teams of applied scientists to do “cool math,” as he calls it, and to pioneer research on cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, how the genome functions and more.

“The problems we embrace always become more interesting, more complex,” Forest said. “I tell all my students, ‘Don’t worry, your brain is wired to mathematize.’ Mathematize what our collaboratives tell us is important, and we’ll make a real difference in the fields that they are the experts in.”

Since its founding, the applied mathematics team has grown from three to 13 faculty members and generated more than $100 million in federal funding in mathematics alone for research and education through collaborations across campus.

While others praise Forest for his groundbreaking work in applied mathematics, his commitment to mentorship is something that his colleagues view as truly immeasurable.

“Greg’s role at UNC-Chapel Hill is further recognized by his devotion to mentoring at all levels, and across all disciplines,” wrote Rich McLaughlin, professor and former chair of the mathematics department, in his nomination letter. “He is completely selfless in this effort, looking simply to help young people succeed.”

It’s a bit of a full-circle moment that McLaughlin nominated Forest for the award. McLaughlin’s father, Dave, was Forest’s primary mentor while Forest was a doctoral student in applied mathematics at the University of Arizona.

“I’ve had students and faculty crying in my office, and I’ve had people in the peaks of joy from their success,” Forest said. “But you have to care, and people have to know that you care enough that they can always rely on you. Mentoring to me means helping them achieve their passion, and there’s no algorithm for that. It has to do with caring.”

As much as Forest gives of himself to the Carolina community, it’s his wife and family he credits for his many years of success.

“I love what I’ve done in my career, but you have to have a happy home life. It allows me to flourish in what I do,” Forest said. “I don’t work as a refuge from my problems. I work in the light of happiness.”