Michael Manta, a fourth-year undergraduate in mathematics, has been awarded the prestigious Knight-Hennessy scholarship for graduate studies at Stanford University.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program supports students who demonstrate leadership, independent thinking, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world with up to three years of funding toward graduate study in any of Stanford's programs. Manta will pursue a PhD in computational and mathematical engineering at Stanford's School of Engineering.
"I am incredibly grateful and fortunate to join the Knight-Hennessy program," Manta says. "I am most excited to connect with leaders in different areas and industries who are all guided by a common desire to bring more good into the world and make positive social change." Manta says he hopes to carry the skills he gained at Caltech into his PhD and make a mark in science, following in the footsteps of other Institute alumni.
At Caltech, Manta built a strong foundation in theoretical mathematics and is looking to explore the intersection of mathematics and modern computational methods for solving partial differential equations. His research experiences span topics in mathematical physics and operator learning, including a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) with David Conlon, a professor of mathematics at Caltech; a research project during the academic year with Matilde Marcolli, Caltech's Robert F. Christy Professor of Mathematics and Computing and Mathematical Sciences; and a project last summer with Yakov Berchenko-Kogan (BS '11), an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Systems Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. Manta says working with Berchenko-Kogan inspired him to further explore the intersection of pure mathematics and computational mathematics for developing new tools to solve partial differential equations.
Manta is also currently conducting research in the group of Andrew Stuart, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech, and says he is interested in leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to address real-world challenges.
In addition to his research experiences, Manta has been a deeply engaged member of the Caltech community, having served as a teaching assistant for Ma 1 c (Vector Calculus), as well as a member of the Undergraduate Student Advisory Board for Caltech's Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, where he advocated for math students by improving access to academic resources and seminars and contributed to fostering a more inclusive departmental environment.
As a research ambassador for Caltech's Student Faculty Programs, Manta advised fellow students participating in undergraduate research and facilitated information sessions about the SURF program. He also volunteered to engage with admitted Caltech students, sharing with them his experience as a math major and promoting the mathematics program.
At Stanford, Manta says he looks forward to building on his background in pure mathematics to make contributions to tractable problems in computational mathematics and engineering. He hopes to create impactful research that bridges disciplines and drives innovation across academia and industry.
"I am eager to make the most of my experience at Stanford with this fellowship and join this community of like-minded individuals coming from diverse backgrounds," Manta says.
Written by Julia Ehlert Nair