BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES OF CANDIDATES 2014 Candidate for election as President (1 vacancy) Terry Lyons, Wallis Professor of Mathematics, and Director, Oxford-Man Institute for Quantitative Finance, University of Oxford Email: [email protected], [email protected] Home page: http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/terry.lyons PhD: DPhil: University of Oxford 1980 Previous appointments: jr res fell Jesus Coll Oxford 1979-81, Hedrick visiting asst prof UCLA 1981-82, lectr in mathematics Imperial Coll of Sci and Technol London 1981-85; Univ of Edinburgh: Colin MacLaurin prof of mathematics 1985-93, head Dept of Mathematics and Statistics 1988-91; prof of mathematics Imperial Coll of Sci Technol and Med 1993-2000, Wallis prof of mathematics Univ of Oxford 2000-, dir Wales Inst of Mathematical and Computational Sciences 2007-11, dir Oxford-Man Inst Univ of Oxford 2011- Research interests: Stochastic Analysis, Rough Paths, Rough Differential Equations, and the particularly the development of the algebraic, analytic, and stochastic methodologies appropriate to describing the interactions within high dimensional and highly oscillatory systems. Applications of this mathematics (for example – in finance). LMS service: President, President Designate 2012-2014; Vice-President 2000-2002; Prizes Committee 1998, 2001 and 2002; Publications Committee 2002; Programme Committee 2002; LMS editorial advisor (10 years). Additional Information: sr fell EPSRC 1993-98, fell Univ of Aberystwyth 2010, fell Univ of Cardiff 2012; Rollo Davidson Prize 1985, Whitehead Prize London Mathematical Soc 1986, Polya Prize London Mathematical Soc 2000, European Research Cncl Advanced Grant 2011; Docteur (hc) Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse 2007; FRSE 1987, FRSA 1990, FIMA 1991, FRS 2002, FIMS 2004, FLSW 2011. Current: scientific advisory boards for HIMS Bonn, CIMI Toulouse, AMSS Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. At some time on the editorial board for Annals of Probability, Probability and Related Fields, Revista Matemática Iberoamericana, Potential Analysis, Stochastic Partial Differential Equations, the London Mathematical Society Journals. Candidates for election as Vice-Presidents (2 vacancies) John Greenlees, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://greenlees.staff.shef.ac.uk/ PhD: University of Cambridge 1986. Previous appointments: Lecturer, National University of Singapore 1986–89: Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Chicago 1989-90; Nuffield Foundation Science Research Fellowship 1995-96; Visiting Associate Professor, University of Chicago 1994; INI Programme Organizer, Cambridge 2002; Head of School 2010-13; Research Professor MSRI, 2014. Research interests: Algebraic topology (stable homotopy theory, equivariant cohomology theories); commutative algebra, representation theory. LMS service: Editorial Board 1994–2004, Publications Committee 2004–2009; BMC Scientific Committee 1999–2004; Prizes Committee 2009–10; Vice-President 2009-2013. Additional information: Junior Berwick Prize 1995; EPSRC Mathematics Strategic Advisory Team 2004-06; Member, RAE 2008 Pure Maths Subpanel. Editorial Boards:Algebraic and Geometric Topology 2000– ; Homology, Homotopy and Applications 2007– ; Topology and its Applications 1998–. Member of REF2014 Mathematical Sciences Subpanel. Personal statement: The factual information should make plain the value I place on mathematical research and the traditional ways the LMS supports it; that is my top priority, but the LMS has other important roles. There is a shift of emphasis, and a shift of funding underway. If mathematics is to flourish, it is important for us to explain what we do at all levels and what mathematics can contribute, and we need to do so in language suitable for a variety of different audiences. Since I have joined Council we have introduced or supported a variety of further initiatives to improve communication, internally and with the rest of the world. I hope to play a continuing part in a measured but bold and outgoing LMS supporting mathematical research and explaining its importance, working with other organisations to add weight to the case whenever appropriate.
1 Ken Brown, Professor of Mathematics, University of Glasgow Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.maths.gla.ac.uk/~kab/ PhD: University of Warwick 1976. Previous appointments: SERC postdoctoral fellow, Warwick 1976–78; Lecturer, University of Glasgow 1978, Professor since 1990; visiting positions at University of Washington 1983–84, University of Texas (Austin) 1986–87. Research interests: Algebra. LMS service: Council 1992–2001; Chair, Personnel & Office Management Committee 1999– 2001; Vice-President 1997–99; Editorial Adviser 2002–06; Vice-President 2009 - Additional information: Member of EPSRC SAT 2014 - ; Member of RAE Pure Maths Subpanel 1996, 2001, Vice-Chair 2001, Chair of Pure Maths Subpanel 2008; Member, REF Expert Advisory Group 2008–09; Member, EPSRC College since 1995; Member, National Advisory Board of the Isaac Newton Institute (INI) 1998–2002; Member, Scientific Committee of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) (Edinburgh) 2006– . Personal statement: If elected I will continue to work to strengthen the LMS and to improve both the quality and the volume of its interactions with the mathematical community and with the wider society. I believe this to be especially important in the present economic and political climate, when support for many of the activities of mathematicians is under threat. Candidate for election as Treasurer (1 vacancy) Robert Turner Curtis, Professor of Combinatorial Algebra, University of Birmingham. Email: [email protected] Home page: www.mat.bham.ac.uk/staff/curtisrt.shtml PhD: University of Cambridge 1972 Previous appointments: SRC Research Fellow, Cambridge, 1972—76; Visiting Professor, Bowdoin College, 1977—80; Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor, University of Birmingham, 1980—2010. Research interests: Presentations and representations of finite groups; sporadic simple groups; symmetric generation of groups; the geometric and combinatorial structures on which groups act: graphs, codes, lattices, block designs. LMS service: Council member at large 2001—07; Prizes Committee 2004—5; Programmes Committee 2001—4; Librarian 2003—07; Regional co-ordinator (5 years); Treasurer 2011 - Date. Additional information: Head of School of Mathematics 1997-2002; Council of the University of Birmingham (5 years); Chairman of 55th BMC 2003; Scientific Committee of BMC 2002 – 2004. Personal Statement: I see the role of the LMS as being more important now than it has ever been. As Government seeks ways to cut back on its expenditure it is imperative that a well- informed and articulate voice makes the case for Mathematics and, in particular, for the continued funding of mathematical research. Through the CMS, its own Education Committee and other bodies, the Society is hugely influential in defending the interests of the mathematical community. Moreover, as financial support for research becomes increasingly difficult to obtain, the role of the LMS in providing grants becomes correspondingly invaluable. As Treasurer I am taking measures to ensure the continued financial security of the Society, so that it can support these essential activities now and in the future. Besides finance, the other main responsibility of the Treasurer is the membership of the Society. I am keen to improve communications between our elected Council and our members, and for this reason I have re-established a network of departmental representatives. There is evidence that this structure is already bearing fruit. Candidate for election as General Secretary (1 vacancy) Stephen Huggett, Professor, University of Plymouth. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://stephenhuggett.com/index.html DPhil: University of Oxford 1981. Research interests: Twistor theory; Graph theory. LMS service: General Secretary, 2012- ; Chair, 2015 Celebration Committee 2011- ; Chair, Web Working Group 2010- ; Member of Council 2001-2011 (Programme Secretary 2001- 2011); Chair, International Affairs Committee 2004-2011; Member of Education Committee
2 1992-2001.
Candidate for election as Programme Secretary (1 vacancy) TO FOLLOW
Candidate for election as Publications Secretary (1 vacancy) John Robert Hunton, Professor of Pure Mathematics, Durham University. Email: [email protected] Homepage: http://www.dur.ac.uk/john.hunton PhD: University of Cambridge 1990. Previous appointments: 1989-91 SERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow (held at the University of Manchester and at MIT); 1991-95 Research Fellow, Trinity College, Cambridge; 1994/5 William Gordon Seggie Brown Fellow, University of Edinburgh and honorary Research Fellow, University of St Andrews; 1995-2003 Lecturer/Reader, University of Leicester; 2001-2002 Leverhulme Research Fellow; 2003-2013 Professor of Geometry, University of Leicester. Research interests: Algebraic Topology, K-theory and Dynamics, Aperiodic Patterns, and especially the interaction of these topics. LMS service: Publications Secretary, International Affiars Committee, Library Committee and Personnel Committee 2013 - present. Council, Member-at-Large 2011-2013. Editorial advisor for LMS publications on K-theory and Algebraic Topology, 2006-2013. Publications Committee 2012-2013. LMS representative on Scientific Steering Committee of the British Mathematical Colloquia 2011-2017. LMS Council representative, Nominating Committee 2012. LMS Council representative on Cecil King Mathematics Travelling scholarship interview panel 2013. Additional information: Chair of British Mathematical Colloquium 2011 introducing parallel programme of Research Workshops; member of EPSRC College since 1999 and of Strategic Advisory Team for Mathematical Sciences 2009-2013; Member, academic subcommittee contributing to Deloitte report on `Assessing the Economic impact of Mathematical Science Research' 2012/3; Selected Exhibitor at Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2009 presenting contemporary pure and applied mathematical research on aperiodic geometry to Government, Policy Makers and the General Public; co-organiser 1996-2011 of LMS scheme 3 collaborative seminar Transpennine Topology Triangle; co-organiser over last 17 years of multiple workshops on various algebra-topology-geometry interactions. Personal statement: Concerning publications, the LMS must play the dual role of both being a recognised body to support and represent the publication related interests of the mathematical community, and also is itself an internationally respected academic publisher (a role which additionally provides finance, directly to support mathematicians via the many LMS schemes and activities). In the current, rapidly changing climate, the Society needs to keep a constant eye on the potential - and real - threats Mathematics faces in this area, working to mitigate them, keeping good communications open to understand what is happening at members' institutions, providing mathematicians with good quality information, maintaining the quality, recognition and viability of its publications, and clearly articulating - positively and constructively - the needs of mathematics to the national and international debates. If re-elected, I would endeavour to continue to use my experience and links with the mathematical and wider public communities to aid the LMS in addressing this spectrum of important activities. Candidate for election as Education Secretary (1 vacancy) Frances Alice Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics, King’s College London. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/nms/depts/mathematics/people/atoz/rogersa.aspx PhD: Imperial College, University of London 1981. Previous appointments: (Seven years as a school teacher from 1969-1976.) SERC Research Fellow, Imperial College 1981-83; Research Associate, King’s College London 1983-84, EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow 1984-89, Royal Society University Research Fellow 1989-94, Lecturer in Mathematics 1994-96, Reader in Applied Mathematics 1996-2007, Head of Department 2001-04, Professor of Mathematics 2007- 2013.
3 Research interests: Geometry and Analysis on Supermanifolds, with applications in Physics and Geometry. LMS service: Council 2002 - 2009, Vice President 2005 - 2009, Personnel Committee 2007 – 2009 (Chair 2008-2009), Mathematics Promotion Unit Steering Group Chair 2006-2009, Women in Mathematics Committee 2000-2005, Chair 2002-2005, Education Committee 2005-2011. Education Secretary 2013 - Additional information: Member of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) from 2007–2011 (Deputy Chair from 2009). Personal statement: The LMS has an impressive record of valuable and effective involvement in national mathematics education policy which I hope and expect to continue, particularly as educational policy continues to change rapidly. I believe that as Education Secretary, supported by a strong committee, I assist this LMS involvement because my career has included teaching every type of maths class from low ability in an inner city comprehensive to advanced postgraduate mathematics, as well as a three-year term as head of a university mathematics department. I thus feel my experience covers most of the bases, including in particular developing the next generation of mathematicians in university mathematics departments and the later stages of school, where the current discussion of A-level mathematics is particularly important. I also believe that I have been able to develop good relationships with school teachers and others outside HE working in mathematics education so that I should be able to make sure the LMS voice is heard and has due influence. There are many complications and political difficulties with educational policy but my extensive involvement over the years, in particular as Deputy Chair of ACME, has enabled me to gain valuable experience and understanding of the political machines which drive developments.
Candidate for election as Librarian (Member-at-Large) (1 vacancy)
June Barrow-Green, Senior Lecturer in the History of Mathematics, The Open University. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://puremaths.open.ac.uk/People/june.barrow-green PhD: The Open University 1993. Research interests: The development of dynamical systems theory, particularly the work of Henri Poincaré and George D. Birkhoff. British mathematics in the 19th and 20th centuries. The use of history in mathematics education. LMS service: I have been a Member of Council and the Society’s Librarian since 2007. I am chair of the Library Committee, a member of the Personnel Committee, a member of the 2015 Committee, and a member of the Website Working Group. Additional information: I am a past President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics (BSHM), a member of the BSHM Council and the BSHM representative on JMC. I am Vice-chair of the Executive Committee of the International Commission on the History of Mathematics, a member of the Science Museum Mathematics Gallery Project External Advisory Panel, an Associate Editor of Historia Mathematica, and a member of several Editorial Boards including Révue d’Histoire des Mathématiques, Philosophia Scientiæ and the AMS History of Mathematics Series. Personal statement: The Society’s Librarian has responsibility for the LMS book and journal collections as well as its archives. As a historian of mathematics, I am particularly aware of the Society’s distinguished history—the LMS is the one of the oldest mathematical societies in the world—and of the importance of both preserving and making accessible the LMS collections. The Society’s new website provides exciting possibilities for the presentation of archival material and, as a member of the Website Working Group, I have been working to maximise the website’s capabilities both for displaying the Society’s history and for making its historical resources publicly available. I am also able to advise on the historical aspects of the Society’s 150th anniversary celebrations which will be taking place in 2015. As a member of staff of the Open University, I am able to represent the position of the part- time and distance-teaching sectors in policy discussions. I am also able to speak for history of mathematics in appropriate curriculum and research discussions. I have an interest in women’s issues, and I am particularly keen to help the Society in its efforts to address the problem of the loss of women from mathematics at higher levels of teaching and research.
4 Candidates for election as Member-at-Large of Council (6 vacancies) Alexandre Borovik, Professor of Pure Mathematics, University of Manchester Email: [email protected] Home page: www.borovik.net PhD: 1982. Previous appointments in the UK: 1992-present time: Lecturer, Reader, from 1998 -- Professor at UMIST and University of Manchester. Research interests: Group theory, model theory, combinatorics. LMS service: Council Member, 2006-12. Programme Committee 2007-10, Research Meetings Committee 2007-10, Education Committee 2010-12,Web Working Group 2010 - present time, Standing Orders Review Group 2013-14. Founder (2011) and Editor of The De Morgan Forum, education.lms.ac.uk, the LMS blog on mathematics education, and The De Morgan Gazette,online magazine on mathematics education. In three years of its existence, the blog had around 1 million views; one of the recent papers in The Gazette has been downloaded about 6,000 times in 6 weeks. Additional information: Editor, J. Group Theory; trustee and council member, British Logic Colloquium; member, OCR Mathematics Consultative Forum; advisor, Cambridge Mathematics Education Project. CV and list of publications: http://www.borovik.net/CV.pdf. Personal statement:I promise to be a caring Trustee and useful Council member in all areas of LMS work, including the advancement of research and promotion of mathematics. But I am going to focus my work in the Council on the needs of university mathematics education. Teaching is part of life for most LMS members (and my life, in my 22 years at Manchester), and I have never met a colleague who was entirely happy with the state of undergraduate teaching. Crucially, the impact of the reform of school mathematics will very soon need attention. University mathematicians have accumulated huge experience of teaching and the organisation of teaching. We need to tap into the collective wisdom of our colleagues, and the LMS is best positioned for doing this. I am prepared to be deeply involved in this work, and I believe that the LMS can and should become the voice of the mathematics community on this issue. I seek your vote, but I would also appreciate if in addition you would drop at [email protected] a few lines of advice, suggestions, or indication that in future you might help with the development of LMS policies and initiatives in education.
Tara Brendle, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Glasgow Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.maths.gla.ac.uk/~tbrendle/ PhD: Columbia University, New York, 2002. Previous appointments: VIGRE Assistant Professor, Cornell University (2002-05); Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University (2005-08); Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow (2008-present). Research interests: My work is in geometric group theory, an area that lies in the intersection of algebra and low-dimensional topology. I am particularly interested in mapping class groups of surfaces, including braid groups. LMS service: I serve as the Edinburgh Mathematical Society representative on the London Mathematical Society's Women in Mathematics Committee (2014-2019). Additional information: I was recently inducted into membership of the Young Academy of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. I also currently serve as Committee Chair of the Birman Research Prize in Topology and Geometry for the US-based Association for Women in Mathematics. Recent conference organization includes the upcoming special session “Geometric group theory and topology” at the American Mathematical Society meeting in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as several Northern British Geometric Group Theory meetings (funded in part by an LMS Scheme 3 award coordinated by Newcastle). Recent research has been funded by an EPSRC grant, and I have also served on a number of EPSRC prioritisation panels. At Glasgow I currently serve as Deputy Head of Mathematics and as Convenor of the Mathematics Learning & Teaching Committee. From 2011-14, I served as Head of Level 2 Mathematics, coordinating a team that was recently awarded a College Teaching Award. Personal statement: The LMS is instrumental in advocating for mathematics and for its members, at every conceivable level: in schools and universities, in industry, and in government. In a time when funding is scarce, the LMS must continue its efforts to ensure
5 adequate resources are allocated both to fundamental research in mathematics and to the training of new generations of mathematically-minded people. I am also deeply interested in issues surrounding mathematics education, from primary school through to PhD, and in striving to increase the pool of people with mathematical training, in part by increasing participation of currently underrepresented groups.
I will contribute to the LMS’s activity in this regard, bringing to bear years of experience with programs such as the US-based Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) as well as experience with coordination of team-driven research and learning & teaching projects at all levels. I will also draw upon my experience working with other international and learned organisations such as the Young Academy of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and its various working groups, the US National Science Foundation, and the Association for Women in Mathematics.
Dr Catherine Hobbs, Head of Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics, University of the West of England, Bristol. Email address: [email protected] Home page: http://fet.uwe.ac.uk/staff/staffDetails.asp?Catherine.Hobbs PhD: University of Liverpool, 1993. Previous appointments: 1992-94 Teaching Fellow, University of Nottingham; 1994-2010 Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Head of Department/Associate Dean, Oxford Brookes University. 2001 Visiting Research Fellow University of Auckland; 2005-6 Visiting Fellow, Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research, University of Bristol. Research interests: Singularity Theory and its applications, particularly to physical sciences. LMS service: 1997-2000 and 2013-present Member at Large, LMS Council; 1998-2001 Chair LMS Women in Mathematics Committee; 2003-2007 and 2013-present Member, LMS Women in Mathematics Committee; 2003-2005 and 2008-2010 Member of LMS Nominating Committee; 2008-2013 LMS representative on BMC Scientific Committee; Additional information: Chair of Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences Committee 2014-present; Member of EMS Women in Mathematics Committee 2004-2010; Member of Standing Committee of European Women in Mathematics, 2001-2007; Fellow of the IMA. Personal statement: I have had a long association with the LMS and a firm belief in the importance of the Society to UK mathematics, as a representative organisation as well as a publisher and supporter of research mathematics across the broad range of mathematical activity in the UK. As can be seen from my biographical details, I have a particular interest in promoting mathematics as a subject open to women and men. I think the LMS has moved a long way towards recognising that mathematical talent can be found everywhere regardless of gender, but am keen to be part of ensuring that momentum is kept up. I can also represent post-92 universities, a number of whom have strong undergraduate mathematics programmes, and bring the experience of being a head of department as well as being current Chair of HoDoMS to Council.
Rebecca Bryony Hoyle, Professor of Mathematics, University of Surrey Email: [email protected] Home page: www.surrey.ac.uk/maths/people/rebecca_hoyle/ PhD: University of Cambridge, 1994 Previous appointments: 1994-5 Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University; 1995-6 Research Fellow, St. John’s College, Cambridge; 1996-9 Teaching Fellow & Director of Studies, King’s College, Cambridge; 1998-9 Affiliated Lecturer, DAMTP, University of Cambridge; 1999-2000 Consultant, Scientific Generics Ltd; 2000 Associate, McKinsey & Company; 2000-2012 Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader, University of Surrey. Research interests: mathematical modelling in evolutionary biology, biophysics, stochastic dynamics, dynamics on (social) networks and industrial ecology; creativity in interdisciplinary research teams. LMS service: Additional information: co-organiser (since 2001) of LMS-scheme-3-funded Patterns, Nonlinear Dynamics and Applications (PANDA) network; EPSRC panel member (CDT 2013, maths prioritisation 2011); Director (2010-14) of an EPSRC-funded Bridging the Gaps programme to facilitate interdisciplinary research at Surrey; member of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB); I performed stand-up comedy inspired by interdisciplinary mathematics at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013.
6 Personal statement: My research is interdisciplinary: I am interested in the connections between mathematics and other disciplines, other ways of doing research and of understanding the world. I am also active in public engagement, most recently through performing research-inspired stand-up. I would bring this outward-looking attitude to my work at LMS, aiming to work cooperatively with other organisations to our mutual benefit. I work part-time and have young children, so I am acutely aware of the challenges of combining an academic career with family life. I would welcome the opportunity to help the LMS in its work to improve the representation of women in the mathematics community, and following my participation on an EPSRC CDT panel, I recently attended the LMS discussion session aimed at increasing the participation of women in CDTs.
Diane Maclagan, Reader, Mathematics, University of Warwick. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://homepages.warwick.ac.uk/staff/D.Maclagan/ PhD: UC Berkeley, 2000 Previous appointments: Postdoc, Institute for Advanced Study (2000-2001) Szegö Assistant Professor, Stanford University (2001-2004) Assistant Professor, Rutgers University (2004-2007) (tenured Associate Professor 2007) Associate Professor, University of Warwick, 2007 - 2014. Research interests: Algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, particularly computational/combinatorial aspects. LMS service: Editorial advisory board for the LMS journals (Bulletin/Journal/Proceedings/Transactions) (2009-2014). Additional information: I have co-organised multiple international workshops (at MSRI, Oberwolfach, AIM, ICMS), and also co-organised an LMS joint research group on tropical mathematics. I will co-organise a semester-long Thematic Program on Combinatorial Algebraic Geometry at the Fields Institute (Toronto) in 2016. Personal statement: The LMS has several important roles to play for British mathematicians. One critical role is to act as a voice for the mathematical community, and to explain the excitement, beauty, and use of mathematics to politicians and the wider public. It is also necessary to communicate the nature of mathematical research to governmental bodies such as HEFCE, and EPSRC. Another role is to foster community among mathematicians; the small grants programme plays an essential role here, allowing more flexibility and diversity than other funding options. The LMS also helps influence the form of this community, with efforts such as the child-care grants, and the Good Practice Scheme. If elected I would hope to support all these efforts. I would also work to make sure that the full range of views and concerns of mathematicians working in the UK are represented.
Beatrice Pelloni, Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics, University of Reading Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.personal.reading.ac.uk/~sms00bp/ PhD: 1996, Yale University (USA) Previous appointments: Marie Curie Fellow and EPSRC PDRA, Imperial College Research interests: PDEs, boundary value problem, integrable systems and spectral theory LMS service: Council 2012 - ; Women in Mathematics (WiM) committee (2010-) Additional information: Olga Tausski-Todd lecturer, ICIAM 2011; Head of Department (2010 –2014) Personal statement: I am committed to help make mathematics a professional choice attainable for all those who have the passion, the discipline and the talent, rewarding intellectual achievement above all. The LMS is in a position to be a significant progressive force, and the opportunities it offers all members of the mathematical community are already outstanding, in terms of foresight, of potential to adapt quickly to change, and also of the relative lack of bureaucracy.
As a member of council, I supported the LMS in fulfilling its role as the distinctive and enlightened society that it can be, dedicated to understanding and facilitating the unique needs of mathematicians, often ill served by prevailing science and funding policies. I support spending to fund people starting a career in mathematical research. As a member of the WiM committee, I also continued to support initiatives in aid of mathematicians with parental responsibilities or returning after career breaks. If elected, I will continue to serve the community and support the commitment of the LMS to make forceful arguments and
7 representations for intellectual freedom in pursuit of research goals, for equality of opportunities, and in support of diversity of talent and of vision.
Chris Rogers Chris Rogers, Professor of Statistical Science, University of Cambridge Email: [email protected] Homepage: www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~chris/ PhD: 1980, University of Cambridge Previous appointments: Lecturer, University of Warwick (1980-1983); Lecturer, University College of Swansea (1984-1985), Lecturer, University of Cambridge (1985-1990); Professor, Queen Mary & Westfield College (1991-1993); Professor, University of Bath (1994-2002); Professor, University of Cambridge (2002-present) Research interests: Probability, stochastic processes, mathematical finance, applied statistics. LMS service: Additional information: I have been an organizer of three programmes at the Isaac Newton Institute: Financial Mathematics (1995), Developments in Quantitative Finance (2005), Systemic Risk (2014). I am an editor or advisor of several journals: Finance & Stochastics, Mathematical Finance, Annals of Applied Probability, Applied Probability, Journal of Computational Finance. Personal statement: Observation of maths degrees courses in five institutions over four decades reveals a broadly constant structure, where core subjects get taught in the first two years, and options are chosen in the third. Yet in this time, the world around us has changed very substantially: students are constantly online, IT is increasingly used in teaching. I would encourage us to recognize that IT is becoming the way mathematicians communicate mathematical ideas to non-mathematicians with whom they work after graduation - these colleagues may be able to make use of a piece of code even if they cannot follow the mathematics lying behind it. How could our teaching better prepare our students for this role?
Alexander David Scott, Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford and Tutor in Mathematics, Merton College, Oxford Email: [email protected] Home page: http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/scott/ PhD: Cambridge 1995 Previous appointments: 2001-2005 Reader in Mathematics at University College London; 1996-2001 Lecturer in Mathematics at University College London; 1993-1997 Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge Research interests: Extremal graph theory; probabilistic combinatorics; related areas of probability, computer science and statistical physics LMS service: Additional Information: Personal statement: I believe that the LMS plays a vital role in the mathematical life of the UK. It supports a broad range of mathematical activity through its grants and publications, and represents the mathematical community to government, funding agencies and the wider public. I would like to see the LMS continuing to support mathematicians at all stages of their careers, and advocating for the importance of supporting research across the mathematical spectrum. If elected, I would hope to contribute to the growth and effectiveness of the Society.
Michael Anthony Singer, Professor, Department of Mathematics, University College London E-mail: [email protected] Home page: http://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=MASIN29 D Phil:Oxford, 1987. Previous appointments: Junior Research Fellow, Merton College Oxford, 1986--1989; Darby Fellow of Mathematics, Lincoln College Oxford, 1989--1993; Australian Research Council visiting research fellow, Adelaide University, 1993--1994; EPSRC Advanced Fellow and lecturer, University of Edinburgh, 1994–1999. Head of School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, 2006–2011. Research interests: Differential geometry, geometric analysis.
8 LMS Service: Council 2012 – date; Editorial advisor for the LMS, 2002--2006. Nominating Committee 2010. Additional information: I have been involved with the organisation of several workshops at Edinburgh under the auspices of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences; I have served on the programme committee and management committees of the ICMS. I was an organizer of the Edinburgh 2010 BMC/BAMC joint meeting. Editorial board, `Mathematical Surveys and monographs of the AMS', 2010---date. Chair of correspondents, Isaac Newton Institute, January 2013—date. LMS Research Policy Committee, 2013—date. Personal statement: The future of the mathematical sciences in the UK depends on establishing a strong relationship between the mathematical community, the UK funding bodies, and UK government. The LMS has a key role to play in this process, and I believe that I have the experience and breadth of knowledge to make a significant contribution if re- elected to Council.
Alexander Veselov, Professor of Mathematics, University of Loughborough. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~maapv/
Candidates for election to Nominating Committee (2 vacancies)
Anne Christine Davis, Professor of Mathematical Physics 1967, University of Cambridge E-mail: [email protected] Home page: www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/a.c.davis PhD: Bristol University 1975 Previous Appointments: 2002-2013 Professor of Theoretical Physics (personal Chair); 1996- 2002 Reader, University of Cambridge; 1995/96 ADR; 1986-1995 College Lecturer, Kings College, Cambridge; 1983-88 SERC Advanced Fellow; 1982/83 Member, IAS, Princeton, 1980-82 CERN Fellow; 1978-80 Postdoc, Imperial College; 1976-78 Postdoc Durham University. Research Interests: Early Universe Cosmology; Modified Gravity; Chameleon models of modified gravity; Topological Defects; Quantum Field Theory. LMS Service: Women in Mathematics Committee (I have recently become a member of this committee)
9 Additional Information: Member REF Panel B10 Mathematics; Member Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship panel; former member RS URF panel; Review Panel for The Perimeter Institute; Selection Panel ICTP Deputy Head; External for various Professorial Appointment Committees in UK and Europe; co-founder and committee member, UK Cosmology Workshops (with Tom Kibble, they have been ongoing for over 20 years); organising committee of many international conferences; IOP Mathematical Physics committee. Personal Statement: I am a relative newcomer to LMS so can't list many activities. The LMS is broad enough to include the Mathematical Sciences in general, including mathematical physics. I would bring to the nominating committee broad expertise and experience, a strong interest in equality and diversity and in particular women in mathematics. I am currently Gender Equality Champion for STEMM in Cambridge, so have expertise in this area and am keen to help redress the balance of the `leaky pipeline'. I have a strong interest in mathematics education and believe the LMS has a key role to play here given that Mathematics underpins so much in our society. I have experience of public engagement.
Stephen Donkin, Professor of Mathematics, University of York. Email: [email protected] Homepage: http://maths.york.ac.uk/www/sd510 Research Interests: Algebra, especially the representation theory of algebraic groups in positive characteristic. LMS Service: Editorial Adviser for LMS journals 1985-2002. (I processed exactly 500 papers.) Also Editorial Assistant for LMS Lecture Note Series, 1999- 2009. Currently departmental LMS representative. Joint organiser (of LMS supported Durham conferences \Representation Theory of Algebraic Groups and Related FInite Groups", 1985 (with R.W. Carter) and \Quantum Groups", 1999 (with A.N. Pressley and A. Sudbery). Personal Statement: I have a great affection for the LMS. It has a long tradition of supporting core mathematics in many ways that are deeply appreciated by the community in this country and abroad. This has been skilfully achieved by making the most of limited resources and keeping mathematics at the forefront of its operations. In the current climate it is, in my view, particularly important to keep focused on support for new mathematics and new mathematicians.
Nadia Sidorova,Nadia Sidorova, Reader in Mathematics at University College London Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucahnsi/ PhD: University of Kaiserslautern, 2003 Moscow State University, 2006 Previous appointments: Postdoc at Oxford 2003-2005, Postdoc at Bath 2005-2007, since 2007 Lecturer then Senior Lecturer then Reader at UCL Research interests: Probability, in particular Random processes in random environment; Small deviations and conditioning principles; Stochastic processes on Riemannian manifolds; Probabilistic models of statistical mechanics LMS service: None yet Additional Information: None
Alex James Wilkie, Fielden Professor of Pure Mathematics, School of Mathematics, University of Manchester. Email: [email protected] Home page: http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/people/staff/profile/?ea=Alex.Wilkie PhD: Bedford College, London. PhD awarded in 1972 Previous appointments: Lecturer in Mathematics, Leicester University, UK (1972-73); Research Fellow in Mathematics, The Open University, UK (1972-78); Junior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Oxford (1978-80,1981-82); Visiting Assistant Professor in Mathematics, Yale University, USA (1980-81); Research Fellow in Mathematics, Universite Paris VII, France (1982-83); SERC Advanced Research Fellow, University of Manchester, UK (1983-85); Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Manchester, UK (1985-86); Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley,USA (Jan-Apr,1986); Reader in Mathematical Logic, University of Oxford (1986-2007). Research interests: Mathematical Logic, especially Model Theory, and its applications to diophantine geometry.
10 LMS service: Council member-at-large 2007-2012 during which time I served on Programme Committee and was Council's representative on Nominations Committee. Additional information: Elected FRS (2002), Fellow of the AMS (2013) and Member of Academia Europaea (2014). Winner of the Karp Prize (a prize awarded every five years by the Association of Symbolic Logic (ASL)) on two occasions-1993 (jointly with E Hrushovski) and 2014 (jointly with M Gitik, Y Peterzil, J Pila, S Starchenko). ICM (40 minute) speaker (1986, 1998). President of the ASL (2010-13).
11 NOMINATION INFORMATION
Officer Roles
Role Nominee Nominator
President Terry Lyons Nominating Committee
John Greenlees Vice-Presidents (2 vacancies) Nominating Committee Ken Brown
Treasurer Robert Curtis Nominating Committee
General Secretary Stephen Huggett Nominating Committee
Programme Secretary t.b.c Council*
Publications Secretary John Hunton Nominating Committee
Education Secretary Alice Rogers Nominating Committee
Members-at-Large – Note: The list is alphapbetical
Role Nominee Nominator
Angus Macintryre Seconders: Member-at-Large Alexandre Borovik Stephen Huggett, Martin Hyland, Colva Roney-Dougal
Member-at-Large Tara Brendle Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Cathy Hobbs Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Rebecca Hoyle Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Diane Maclagan Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Beatrice Pelloni Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Chris Rogers Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Alex Scott Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Michael Singer Nominating Committee
Member-at-Large Alexander Veselov Nominating Committee
12 * – A nomination was made for the Programme Secretary role by the deadline set out in the LMS’ Regulations. This candidate however had to withdraw. Under such circumstances Council willl nominate for the role.
Five Members-at-Large who were elected for two years in 2013 have a year left to serve; they are: Francis W. Clarke, David Evans, Elizabeth L. Mansfield, Gwyneth Stallard and Iain A. Stewart
In 2014, the role of Librarian (Member-at-Large) will be open for election. This is a distinct role created at the 2012 AGM. The term of office is one year, to a maximum of ten years.
Role Nominee Nominator
Librarian (Member-at-Large) June Barrow-Green Nominating Committee
Nominating Committee – Note: The list is alphabetical
Role Nominee Nominator
Nominating C’ttee Anne Davis Nominating Committee
Nominating C’ttee Stephen Donkin Nominating Committee
Nominating C’ttee Nadia Sidorova Nominating Committee
Nominating C’ttee Alex Wilkie Nominating Committee
The continuing members of the Nominating Committee are: Penny Davies (Chair), Keith Ball, Martin Bridson, Paul Glendinning and David Tranah. In addition, Council will appoint a representative to the Committee.
13
SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE
There are many different ways of conducting an STV election. The version to be used in the current LMS election is known as Meek’s method. It has the approval of the Electoral Reform Society and is used by other reputable organisations such as the Royal Statistical Society. From an elector’s point of view, the system is simple: numbers have to be placed against candidates’ names on the ballot paper to indicate the voter’s order of preference. Equal rankings are allowed, and not all candidates have to be given a rank.
Two basic principles govern the counting. First, if a candidate needs v votes to be elected but actually has n > v, then a fraction (n − v) / n of each of these votes is passed on to candidates ranked lower on each relevant ballot paper. Naturally this means that some ‘votes’ have become fractional, but this causes no problems. Secondly if, after the above procedure has been iterated as far as possible, there are still vacant seats, all the votes of the candidate with the lowest total vote are redistributed in the same way. (If two candidates are tied at the lowest vote, one is chosen by a random process.) A precise description of the procedure follows.
1. Each candidate, at any stage of the election, is either elected, hopeful or excluded. Initially everyone is hopeful.
2. At each stage of the count, each candidate x has an associated weight wx. At this stage the candidate keeps a proportion wx of any vote or fraction of a vote received, and the remaining proportion (1 − wx) is passed on to another candidate (or in equal shares to a group of candidates if these have equal rankings). Excluded candidates have weight 0, so keep nothing. Hopeful candidates have weight 1 and keep everything which is passed to them. Elected candidates have weights between 0 and 1 determined as in §4.
3. If on a ballot paper a candidate a is ranked first, b second, c third and so on, then, at any stage a receives from that elector wa of the vote, b receives (1 – wa) wb of the vote, c receives (1 – wa) (1 – wb) wc of the vote, and so on. Notice that if any candidate listed is hopeful, all fractions transferred to later candidates are 0. If any part of the vote remains to be passed on after the whole list has been dealt with (which could happen easily if the ballot paper ranks only one candidate), that part is counted as excess. Initially there is no excess.
4. The quota – the vote a candidate must exceed at any stage in order to be elected – is defined to be (total votes – total excess) / (number of seats + 1). The weights for elected candidates at each stage are determined (uniquely) by the requirement that the vote which remains with each of them is equal to the current quota; these weights are calculated by an iterative procedure.
5. At each stage the quota and weights are calculated according to §4, and then the procedures of §§2,3 are applied. Any candidate with more than the current quota of votes is declared elected and retains this status thereafter. If this means that at least one hopeful candidate changes to an elected candidate, the procedure is repeated.
6. If no hopeful candidate was elected in §5, the hopeful candidate with the lowest total vote at this stage (or one such chosen at random if there are many) is declared excluded, and the procedure is repeated with that candidate’s weight changed to 0.
7. When the total number of elected candidates is equal to the number of seats the process stops.
NOTE: The description above is the same as in the May 1999 Newsletter and is essentially taken from the paper Single transferable vote by Meek’s method by I.D. Hill, B.A. Wichmann and D.R. Woodall (Computer J 30 (1987) 277–281), where more details are presented.
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