James C. Turner, professor of mathematics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2005, Turner’s scholarship focused on numerical analysis and applied mathematics. He was the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $14 million in research and outreach grants. He has published more than two dozen papers on this work and presented his scholarship at 27 symposia and seminars in the United States and abroad.

In his career, Turner has served on the board of directors of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cape Town, South Africa, and served as director of the African-American Mathematics Institute at Chicago State University. In addition, he was the co-founding director of the Center for Nonlinear Analysis at Carnegie Mellon University.

In the classroom, Turner has taught a wide variety of undergraduate courses and has served as both an undergraduate and graduate student advisor.

He also served as interim associate vice provost of the Graduate School at Virginia Tech.

Turner earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Orleans, a master’s degree at the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University.

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