Erica Jen (Chinese: 任峻瑞; Rén Jùnrùi, circa 1952 – November 12, 2023)[1] was an American applied mathematician.
She became the first American national to be allowed to study in China since 1949 and the first foreigner since the Cultural Revolution After returning to the U.S., Jen obtained a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Stony Brook University of the State University of New York and was the first postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
In 1986, Jen became a staff member in the theoretical division and acting deputy director of the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
In 1995, Jen joined the Santa Fe Institute, a leading interdisciplinary research center for the study of complex adaptive systems.
[11] During her tenure at the Santa Fe Institute, Jen developed the groundbreaking SFI program on the robustness of physical, biological, ecological, and social systems.