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Ferenc Szidarovszky, Ph.D.

Co-Founder, Vice President and Director of Operations Research

Dr. Szidarovsky (who likes to be known as Szidar) Is captivated by the beauty and power of formal mathematical analysis and by the beauty and power of nature. His work allows him to apply the first, mathematics, to the protection of the second, nature.

Szidar is an internationally renowned mathematician and economist with seminal contributions in both areas, as reflected by his extensive collaboration with Dr. Vernon Smith, co-recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics. Like many top theoreticians, his work is not exclusively limited to theory, rather his methods have been applied to a large diversity of real-world problems, including water resources modeling and management.

He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Eotvos University of Sciences of Budapest, Hungary, and a second Ph.D. in economics from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences. He is also a recipient of two higher scientific degrees given by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: Candidate in Mathematics and Doctor of Engineering Sciences.

Szidar is a former full professor at the University of Arizona with joint appointments in both the Departments of Systems and Industrial Engineering and Hydrology and Water Resources. He supported research in many other fields as well, including mathematics, economics, physics, civil engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and optical science. His theoretical expertise is too long to list, but includes artificial intelligence (AI), optimization, multi-objective analysis, game theory, statistics, numerical methods, and dynamic systems.
Szidar co-developed NOAH’s advanced patented AI-based system for real-time water resources management. He continues to develop and apply advanced mathematical methods to support continued development of innovative methods and products for NOAH. This includes a proprietary algorithm to address uncertainty in space and/or time, and algorithms for generating the optimal trade-off solution among conflicting objectives. One of his primary roles for NOAH is mathematical formulation of complex dynamic multi-objective optimization models that consider inherent uncertainty like weather variability.
Szidar breadth and depth of theory, research, and applications are further reflected by his 27 published reference books and nearly 400 published articles international journals. Of relevance to water resources, he has made seminal contributions to AI, optimization, multi-objective analysis, geospatial kriging analysis, numerical methods, and stochastics.
From his youth, Szidar was naturally drawn to the logic and rigor of mathematics, as evidenced by his winning prestigious international competitions in Mathematics at a young age. While he has always been captivated by the beauty and power of formal mathematical analysis, his love of nature motivated him to also use his knowledge and talent to advance the sustainable management and protection of our natural resources. He has proven in many cases that a formal mathematical analysis can resolve conflict by identifying an equitable trade-off solution that satisfies the needs and priorities of all the stakeholders. With the growing threats of climate change and freshwater depletion, he believes that this type of in-depth analysis will be necessary to minimize the inherent conflict among disparate users competing for often limited and non-renewable natural resources.

Szidar is standing next to the beautiful Danube River.  In the foreground is the Liberty Bridge, connecting Buda with Pest, which collectively form the lovely capital of Hungary, Budapest.  Pictured in the left background is the Freedom Statue on the Gellért Hill.  Gellért Hill was named after Bishop Gerard who was assassinated in 1046 and later sainted. In addition to the Danube River, Szidar also has a deep love for the rich classical musical tradition of Austria and Hungary, considered “the cradle of classical music.”  Perhaps it is appropriate that one of the most recognizable classical pieces in the world is the The Blue Danube, composed by Johann Strauss II.