François Blanchette

François Blanchette is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at UC Merced, where he has been since 2006. His research is focused on simulations and modeling of fluid dynamical systems with environmental applications. His trajectory took him from an undergraduate degree at the Université de Montréal, to a PhD at MIT., to postdocs at UCSB and the University of Chicago, with a brief period as an elementary school teacher in Ghana.

Over the course of his career François has contributed to the development of the undergraduate and graduate curricula of the UC Merced Applied Mathematics degrees. He was undergraduate Chair for several years, followed by a stint as department Chair. He is involved in broadening higher education's reach through mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students at his home institution and via the Cal-Bridge program. As an educator, he has always enjoyed developing fair and interesting exams, including modes of oral examination. He has been involved with MDTP since 2023.