Why Not Nonlinear Algebra: Math, Science, Applications And Funding

What really happens when you submit a research proposal to a government funding agency? Seeking answers, I joined the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for what I thought would be a one-year stint. That year turned into forty.

Founded in 1946 as the first government agency dedicated to science and technology funding, ONR has a rich history — one that I witnessed firsthand. But ONR was far more than just reading proposals. It meant working alongside the Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Warfare Centers, DARPA, and global offices abroad. It meant unexpected opportunities, travel, brilliant colleagues, and visionary leadership.

While ONR supported my research in statistical physics, my programs focused on nonlinear science — managing instability, predicting and controlling it, and sometimes even exploiting it. Chaos theory, a prime example of nonlinear dynamics, has led to surprising and far-reaching applications.

After a PhD at the University of Rochester, Dr Michael F Shlesinger spent 8 years at universities, including being honoured with the University Maryland's Distinguished Postdoc Alum Award, and then 40 years at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). At ONR, he was in the Senior Executive Service as the Director of the Physics Division, and then the Chief Scientist for Nonlinear Science where he was awarded the Presidential Rank Award and the Saalfeld Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement. He was then the Division Director for Marine Corps programs and double-hatted as the Kinnear Professor of Physics at the US Naval Academy. He co-founded the World Scientific Publishing journal FRACTALS and is the author of the book An Unbounded Experience in Random Walks with Applications. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society with their Outstanding Referee Award and a co-founder of the Experimental Chaos Conference. Recently, he was awarded the inaugural Weisskopf Medal for Outstanding Scientific Statesmanship.