Richard A. Tapia: key obituary facts
Is Richard A. Tapia dead? Yes. Richard A. Tapia died on May 23, 2026, at age 88.
Cause of death: Richard A. Tapia's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Richard A. Tapia known for?
He was an American mathematician.
More about Richard A. Tapia
Born: 25 March 1939.
Place of birth: Los Angeles.
Gender: male.
Occupation: mathematician, university teacher.
Nationality: United States.
Education: University of California, Los Angeles.
Employer: Rice University.
Awards: National Medal of Science, Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Ohtli Award, Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, AMS Distinguished Public Service Award, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Also known as: Richard Alfred Tapia, R. A. Tapia.
Known for: Mathematical optimization.
Richard A.
Tapia, an American mathematician, died on May 23, 2026. He was known for his work in mathematical optimization and iterative methods for nonlinear problems, with more recent research focused on algorithms for constrained optimization and interior point methods for linear and nonlinear programming.
Tapia was a University Professor at Rice University in Houston, Texas, the university’s highest academic title. In 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Award for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Mentoring, and in 2011, President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Science.
Richard A. Tapia, 88, American mathematician. (death announced on this date)