Biographical presentation,FelisaVázquez-Abad
Unlikemostpeople,Iwasn′tbornalone.ItwasthefirstimportanttaskthatmyidenticaltwinandI
woulddotogether,andwelearntthatcooperation,insteadofcompetition,wasessentialforsurvival.
ThatdaywasMarch14,1960andtheplacewasHavana,Cuba,whereourfatherJesúsVázquez
GayosowasMinisterofForeignAffairsoftheSpanishRepublicanGovernmentinexile.
Asayounglawyer,hehadbeenwiththeDiplomaticGovernmentofthe
short-livedSpanishRepublicsince1931.Heledatroupeofcarabineros
duringtheSpanishCivilWarandwasabletosurviveandcrossthePyrenees
byfoot,fleeingintoexiletoescapethedeathpenaltydeclaredagainstthe
loyalists.HewasappointedMinisterofForeignAffairsandassignedto
CentralAmerica.DuringhisstayinCubahepursuedhisacademiccareerand
becameDeanoftheFacultyofLawoftheUniversityofHavana.Mymother
FelisaAbadSerranowasalsoaSpanishrefugee,livinginCaracas,
Venezuela.TheymetinCubain1945duringaholidaytripwhenshewas15
yearsold,andmyfatherwas36.
Itcameasasurprisethatweweretwins,andwewerewelcomedtoafamilywiththreeolderbrothers.
Today,JesúsisProfessorofEducationinMontreal,JoséisacomputerprogrammerinMexico,and
JuanisformerHeadandProfessorattheconservatoryofmusicinMadrid.
WemovedtoCaracas,Venezuela,whereweliveduntilAugust1962,whenwefinallysettledin
MexicoCity.WeattendedschoolattheColegioMadrid,aprestigiousschoolfoundedbySpanish
Refugeesthatemphasizedthestudyofscience.
Igraduatedthirdofmyclassof86fortheB.Sc.inPhysicsin1983andIobtainedtheM.Sc.degreein
StatisticsandOperationsResearchin1984,bothfromtheUniversidadNacionalAutónomadeMéxico
(UNAM).InitiallymotivatedbymyHonoursthesisprojectinnuclearphysics,myinterestsfocusedon
thestudyofthebehaviourandthecontrolofprocessesunderuncertainty,or“stochasticprocesses.”
In1985IwenttoBrownUniversityinUSA,whereIobtainedaPhDinAppliedMathematics.I
participatedinateamofresearchersworkingforNASA,wherewestudiedthedynamicsofturbulent
windflowsunderthewingsofaircraft.Ihelpedproduceanumberofchaptersonthetheoryof
numericalsolutionsofdifferentialequations.Atthesametime,myPh.D.projectdealtwiththeoptimal
routingofpacketsinatelecommunicationnetwork,andIwasamongstthefirsttotesthypertextinthe
earlydaysofInternettechnology.Itwasatthistimewhenthedreamsstarted.
Ioftendreamaboutmyselfasamathematicalentity,towhomoperationssuchasintegration,orbeing
multipliedby“epsilon”canbeapplied.Irodeontopofbifurcatingdifferentialequations,Ihave
beeninsideacomputercodecausingcompilationproblems,andwasonceasubsetofasetofmeasure
zero Untilmuchlater,Ididnotsuspectthatthiswasapparentlyuncommon.YearslaterIhelpedto
produceanoveltechniqueforcontrolofstochasticprocesses,whichIconceivedimaginingthatIwasa
tinypartofacontrollersittinginsidetheelectronicconnectionsofatelecommunicationsnetwork.
Mymainresearchinterestiscalledstochasticdecentralisedcontrol.Thegoalistounderstandand
createintelligentmechanismsthatcancontrolbehaviour,basedonamultitudeofsmallandsimple
computerisedandsemi-autonomousalgorithms.Wecallthesemechanismsintelligent,inanalogywith
biologicalsystems,suchasanantcolony,oracollectionofneurons:globalinformationaboutthe
system'sgoalforperformanceimprovementisnotphysicallylocalized,butratherliesinthecollective
coherentbehaviourofitsrathersimplecomponents.Itisinthesemechanismsthatthecapacityfor
learningandadaptationresides.
In1989IobtainedmyPh.D.andafterayearofpostdoctoralexperienceatBrown,Idecidedtomove
toMontreal,whereIwasaresearcherattheINRS-TelecommunicationsCentreofExcellenceuntil
1993,whenIbecameAssistantProfessorattheDepartmentofComputerScienceandOperations
ResearchattheUniversityofMontreal.IwaspromotedtoAssociateProfessorwithtenurein1996and
toFullProfessorin2004.DuringthistimeIdevelopedmanyresearchcollaborationsandhadthe
experienceoftravellingaroundtheWorld,visitingtheNetherlands,France,Switzerland,Spain,
AustraliaandtheUnitedStates.Thesecollaborationshavegivenmetheopportunitytoapplystochastic
controltomobileandopticalnetworks,transportationsystems,financialproblems,maintenanceand
insurance.In2000,oneofourpapersonanewmethodforamaintenancecontrolstrategywasawarded
theJacobWolfowitzprizeoftheAmericanStatisticalSociety,fortheoreticaladvancesinthe
mathematicalandmanagementsciences.
IcametoMelbournemanytimesasacademicvisitorsince1997andIhavebeenHonoraryPrincipal
FellowoftheDepartmentofElectricalandElectronicEngineeringsince2000.HereIlearntabout
opticalnetworktechnologyandsoonbecameinterestedinapplyingmyskillstoworkwithengineersin
thisarea.BackinMontreal,BrunildeSansò(ÉcolePolytechnique)andIco-directedaM.Sc.thesis,
whichresultedinatemporaryUSpatentforanopticalswitch.ButthiswasnottheonlythingIlearnt
inMelbourne.Isoonmetmanyfriends,mostlythroughthecollegialandintellectuallystimulating
environmentofUniversityCollege,whereIoftenstayedasavisitingacademic.InAugust2004I
acceptedthepositionofAssociateProfessorofMathematicsandStatisticsatMelbourneUniversity,and
thusstartedanewchapterinmylife.Sofar,mycareerhasfocusedonpersonaldevelopment,butI
foreseeinthefutureachangeoffocustowardsthecommunity.
Mysisterhasalwaysbeenasourceofinspiration,support
andunderstanding.Herintegrity,passionandscientific
excellencetookherfrombeingaMedicalDoctorinarural
communityinMexico,tobecomingMedicalDirectorofthe
largestpharmaceuticalcompanyintheWorld.Shehas
accumulatedgreatresearchandserviceachievements,andis
currentlymemberoffivediversitynetworks.Weare
probablyclosertodayinourprofessionalgoalsandlife
commitmentsthanwehaveeverbeeninthepast,albeitthe
greatgeographicaldistance.Shehassaidtome:“youhave
gonesofaraway,thatifyoutriedtogetanyfarther,you
wouldstarttocomeback.”
Thepresenceofwomeninscientificcareersdecreasessignificantlyastheleveloftheposition
increases,andasweenterthe21stCentury,itissomewhatsadtorealisethatyoungpeoplestillhave
theperceptionthatourbrainssomehowarenotfitforquantitativeanalysis.Evensadderisthe
realisationthatmanyyoungwomenbelievethisthemselves.Thepioneeringeducationalrevolution
proposedbytheMelbourneModelissoontobeimplemented.Itpromotesthehighestqualityof
academicexpertise,diverseresearchenvironmentsandinnovativeteachingdevelopmentwithfocusinto
thecommunity.Iwasoneoftwelveacademicsselectedforthe2006AcademicWomeninLeadership
Programme,whichwillhelpmetoengageinthelargervisionoftheUniversityandhelptomotivate
andinspireanewgenerationofyoungpeople,forwhomgendershouldneverhaveanegativeimpact.