Regius Professor of Mathematics (Oxford)

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Andrew Wiles (Boston 1995) - Oxford University's first Regius Professor of Mathematics

The Regius Professor of Mathematics is a Regius Professorship for Mathematics at the University of Oxford founded in 2016 by Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her 90th  birthday . No regius professorship had been awarded to Oxford since 1842. In addition to this Regius Professorship for Mathematics, there is also a Regius Chair , donated in 1668 at the University of St. Andrews, and a Chair donated in 2013 at the University of Warwick .

History of the professorship

In 2015, during his speech on the state budget , Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced plans to establish additional Regius professorships on the occasion of the Queen's 90th birthday (April 26, 2016). In contrast to earlier times, the recent appointments are no longer accompanied by funding. This plan was implemented on June 6, 2016. Together with this professorship, eleven further professorships were donated.

The selection of the professorships was made by a committee of experts from research and industry and shows the academic weight of basic research and the social effects that are achieved through this research. It was only in 2014 that Nigel Hitchin, a member of the mathematics faculty, received the Shaw Prize and Andrew Wiles had been awarded the Abel Prize.

As early as 1595 the introduction of a mathematics professorship at Oxford and Cambridge had been proposed. Later in Oxford with the Savilian Chair of Astronomy donated by Henry Savile , a foundation was laid for excellence in mathematics.

owner

Surname from to annotation
vacant 2016 2018
Sir Andrew Wiles KBE FRS May 31, 2018 today Wiles, son of the Regius Professor of Divinity (1970–1991), Maurice Frank Wiles , was awarded the Abel Prize in 2016 for the proof of Fermat's 1637 formulated last sentence . Wiles provided the proof in 1995. For this proof, too, Wiles was awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b New Regius Professorship in Mathematics for Queen's 90th birthday . University of Oxford press release, June 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ Regius Professorships awarded to leading universities to mark Queen's 90th birthday . Press release from the Cabinet Office, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, HM dated June 6, 2016.
  3. ↑ Richard Garner: Budget 2015: Universities will be allowed to raise fees beyond £ 9,000, says George Osborne . In: The Independent , July 8, 2015; accessed on August 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ a b Regius Professorships awarded to leading universities to mark Queen's 90th birthday . Cabinet Office press release, June 6, 2016.
  5. ^ William Taylor: Oxford Maths Department wins Regius professorship . Cherwell, June 11, 2016.
  6. ^ Robert Goulding: Defending Hypatia: Ramus, Savile, and the Renaissance Rediscovery of Mathematical History ; Springer Science & Business Media, 2010, ISBN 978-90-481-3542-4 , p. 112.
  7. ↑ a b c d Sir Andrew Wiles appointed first Regius Professor of Mathematics at Oxford . Oxford mathematician Sir Andrew Wiles, renowned for his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, has been appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to be Oxford's first Regius Professor of Mathematics. In: Oxford University press release. May 31, 2018, accessed August 26, 2018 .