Mark H. Holmes is an American applied mathematician and Professor of Mathematics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he served as Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and was the founding Director of the Center for Modeling, Optimization and Computational Analysis (MOCA).
Mark H. Holmes was born in Onawa, Iowa on November 7, 1950. He attended Colorado State University, where he earned his B.S. in 1973, and the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received his PhD in mathematics in 1978. His PhD thesis advisor was Julian Cole.
He is known for his contributions in mathematical biology, including mechanoreception (hearing and touch), neurobiology (Parkinson's Disease and the sleep-wake cycle), and tissue mechanics (articular cartilage).
He has been instrumental in numerous educational initiatives. This has included starting the Rensselaer laptop program (in 1995), co-directing Project Links for developing web-based learning modules (1995âÂÂ2003), creating the Gateway Exam (1999âÂÂ2007), organizing the Rensselaer Calculus Video Project (2000âÂÂ2008), and heading the Rensselaer GAANN program (2009âÂÂ2016) for recruiting, and retaining, under-represented groups in mathematics. Holmes has written several textbooks based on some of the applied math courses offered at Rensselaer.