Evans Malott Harrell II (born 1950) is an American mathematician known for his research in mathematical physics and the spectral theory of linear operators, particularly related to the Schrödinger equation. From 2005 to 2014 he was Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Mathematics at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Early life and education Harrell was born in 1950 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and completed his Ph.D. at Princeton University in 1976, where his doctoral dissertation was titled "Schrödinger Operators with Singular Perturbation Potentials" under the advisor Barry Simon. He held visiting and postdoctoral posts at Haverford, the University of Vienna, and MIT before his first tenure-track role at Johns Hopkins. He joined Georgia Tech in 1983 and remained there until his retirement.
Research and Academic Contributions Harrell’s research focuses on the analysis of differential equations, particularly in the spectral theory of elliptic operators and semiclassical quantum mechanics. He is recognized for his work on the influence of geometry on the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of differential equations, as well as for studying the behavior of quantum systems at atomic scales.
Education reform Harrell has been an active voice in science education reform and has contributed to international mathematics education. He participated in scientific exchanges and delivered lectures in countries that included Benin, Senegal, and Mali. Additionally, he serves on the board of the educational foundation Gathering 4 Gardner (G4G).
Science Communication through the Arts Harrell integrates dance, music, circus arts, and drama into his science communication efforts. He founded Mathematics in Motion, a production company devoted to blending mathematics with the lively arts. Through this initiative, Harrell has produced and directed science-themed performances at various events, including the Atlanta Science Festival and the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival.
Honors Harrell won a Sloan Research Fellowship in 1983. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Georgia Tech awarded him an Outstanding Service Award in 1996 and the Eichholtz Teaching Award in 2006.
Papers 2016: "Two-term, asymptotically sharp estimates for eigenvalue means of the Laplacian" (with Joachim Stubbe), Cornell University 2009: "Universal inequalities for the eigenvalues of Laplace and Schrödinger operators on submanifolds" (with A El Soufi, E Harrell, S Ilias), Transactions of the American Mathematical Society 361 (5), 2337-2350 2003:"A physical short-channel threshold voltage model for undoped symmetric double-gate MOSFETs" (with Q Chen and JD Meindl), IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices 50 (7), 1631-1637 2001 "On the placement of an obstacle or a well so as to optimize the fundamental eigenvalue" (with P Kröger & K Kurata) SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis 33 (1), 240-259 1997: "On trace identities and universal eigenvalue estimates for some partial differential operators" (with J Stubbe), Transactions of the American Mathematical Society 349 (5), 1797-1809 1994: "Commutator bounds for eigenvalues, with applications to spectralgeometry (with PL Michel), Communications in Partial Differential Equations 19 (11-12), 2037-2055 1990: "Elimination of chaos in an intracavity-doubled Nd: YAG laser" (with GE James, C Bracikowski, K Wiesenfeld, R Roy), Optics Letters 15 (20), 1141-1143 1990: "Intermittency and chaos in intracavity doubled lasers. II" (with GE James & R Roy), Physical Review A 41 (5), 2778 1980: "Double wells" Communications in Mathematical Physics 75 (3), 239-261 1980: "The mathematical theory of resonances whose widths are exponentially small" (with B Simon), Vol. 47, No. 4 Duke Mathematical Journal (C) December 1980 1978: "On the rate of asymptotic eigenvalue degeneracy" Communications in Mathematical Physics 60 (1), 73-95
Books 2000 Linear Methods of Applied Mathematics, Orthogonal series, boundary-value problems, and integral operators Evans M. Harrell II and James V. Herod (1994, 2000)
2012: A course in mathematical physics 1: classical dynamical systems by Walter Thirring, translated by Evans Harrell, Springer Verlag
References Evans Malott Harrell II at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
Evans Harrell, Board Member Gathering 4 Gardner
A Short History of Operator Theory by Evans M. Harrell II, 2004
Dr. Evans Harrell: Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Georgia Tech Alumni Association
Evans M. Harrell Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Report for 1983: Sloan Research Fellowships
Mathematics in Motion Math professor Evans Harrel and his team use the art of dance to engage with audiences. 2025, DanceATL
Mathematical Understandings of Africa Evans Harrell, Georgia Tech
Past Members American Association for the Advancement of Science
The Multitalented Evans Harrell by Michael Loss and Drake Lee-Patterson, Proof Reader (alumni magazine of the School of Mathematics, at Georgia Tech)
A Report from the Front of the 'Science Wars' A Report from the Front of the “Science Wars” by Evans M. Harrell II
Evans Harrell page at Georgia Tech
External links Evans Harrell's home page at Georgia Tech Evans Harrell at Google Scholar