James L. Phillips is manager of Mathematics and Engineering Analysis at Boeing Information and Support Services in Seattle, Washington. He heads a group of 78 people, the majority of whom have advanced degrees in mathematics or statistics. Members of the group are engaged in applied research on problems of interest to Boeing, and also work as consultants across Boeing. They provide high level mathematical support to a variety of groups, including those involved with studies in aerodynamics, electromagnetics, flight controls, manufacturing technology, airplane marketing, and parts fabrication. Jim started at Boeing 18 years ago as a Senior Mathematician.
The problems which come to Jim's group are not stand alone mathematics problems. Rather, they come from a need to develop better codes for modeling air-flow, and they present challenging numerical problems involving partial differential equations and linear algebra, which result from modeling geometries and flow situations. A recent manufacturing problem became a computational optimization problem, as mathematicians devised a way to not only cut parts out of a sheet of aluminum so that the material was used efficiently, but to also assure that the machines used to cut the pieces were used effectively. In the area of computer aided design (CAD), his group became involved in an effort to create digital designs from aircraft parts produced before Boeing started using CAD. Most problems come to the group from other divisions as a result of someone in the group having worked previously on a problem with a member of the division. The applied research is conducted to develop mathematical techniques and tools to help improve Boeing engineering and manufacturing processes.
Although Jim thought about going into industry immediately after finishing graduate school at Purdue and looked at jobs in both academia and industry, he decided to take a position at Washington State University. After eight years there, he took a one-year leave of absence to learn about the problems and challenges at Boeing. He found he enjoyed using mathematics to solve real world problems and has continued to derive satisfaction from seeing mathematics applied to solve challenging problems that arise in the aerospace industry. Because of the diversity of the types of problems on which his group works, he sees no magic set of courses required for success. Rather, he sees the benefit of breadth in mathematics and science, combined with in-depth study in an area of mathematics which requires learning how to learn advanced mathematics on one's own. Experience in modeling physical phenomena and an understanding of how mathematics is used in modeling and simulation are also useful. Jim also views as important the ability to communicate with members of other science, engineering, and business areas on their own terms, since problems are rarely presented to the group in mathematical terms, but must be formulated from discussions between the people with the problem and the mathematician.