Regius Professor of Mathematics (St Andrews)

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James Gregory and his family dominated the chair for the first 100 years

The Regius Professor of Mathematics is a Regius Professorship in Mathematics at the University of St Andrews School of Mathematics and Statistics in Scotland. The professorship was founded in 1668 by Charles II, presumably after Robert Moray exerted influence . In 2013, a further Regius Professorship for Mathematics was established at the University of Warwick on the foundation of Elizabeth II , also known as the Regius Professor of Mathematics . On the occasion of the Queen's 90th birthday, in 2015 she again donated twelve Regius Professorships, one of which was the Regius Professorship of Mathematics at the University of Oxford .

Apart from this Regius Professorship, there was and still is no other Regius Professorship at St Andrews, which distinguishes the university from the other five universities that hosted Regius Professorships at all until 2013. The remaining universities are the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge , University of Aberdeen , University of Edinburgh and the University of Dublin .

History of the professorship

The professorship was established by Charles II to enable James Gregory to continue his work at home. Gregory had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society at the age of 30 and had built his fame with work in Flanders , Paris , Rome and Padua . The professorship, which was set up especially for him in 1668, also aroused the jealousy of his colleagues at the university, so that Gregory left them in 1674 to take a new position at the University of Edinburgh , where he was only 36 a year later died of a stroke.

Gregory's successors were not chosen because of their math skills. The professorship had little academic glamor. For a long time, teaching mathematics was not the primary goal of the professorship. Robert Haldane was appointed more for his connections in the Church of England than for his math skills. More talented people were also passed over for this. Nevertheless, his skills were praised, as a contemporary mentions: ... it was well known that his mathematical drilling was the most successful ever exhibited in any of our Scottish colleges.

While Peter Redford Scott-Lang, who held the professorship from 1879 to 1921, did not conduct any mathematical research but concentrated purely on teaching, the claim changed considerably with the appointment of Herbert Westren Turnbull . Since then, the chair has been an excellent address in European research.

owner

Surname name suffix from to annotation
James Gregory 1668 | 1674 In honor of the first Regius Professor, St Andrews announced the establishment of the James Gregory Professor of Applied Mathematics in 2015.
William Sanders 1674 | 1688 Sanders left the chair in favor of a principal position for reasons unknown.
James Fenton 1689 | 1690 Both the reasons for Fenton's appointment and the speedy end of the term of office are not known.
1690 | 1707 vacant - It is unknown if there were any legal obstacles to the occupation. In any case, the chair was not filled until Fenton's death.
Charles Gregory 1707 | 1739 Charles was the nephew of James Gregory and was appointed when he was only 26.
David Gregory 1739 | 1765
Nicolas Vilant 1765 | 1807 Due to a rheumatic illness, Vilant could hardly teach himself. But he appointed a series of well-chosen lecturers who improved the reputation of the professorship and the chair.
1807 | 1809 vacant
Robert Haldane 1809 | 1820 Haldane had been appointed to the Church of Scotland less for his math skills than for his political prowess.
Thomas Duncan 1820 | 1858 The various sources contradict each other in the year of Duncan's move to Adams.
John Couch Adams 1857 | 1858 Adams followed George Peacok in 1859 as a professor at Cambridge for 32 years .
William LF Fischer 1859 | 1877
George Chrystal 1877 | 1879 The duration of the professorship was so short that Chrystal did not leave a lasting impression. Chrystal left the chair in favor of a professorship at the University of Edinburgh .
Peter Redford Scott Lang 1879 | 1921
Herbert Westren Turnbull 1921 | 1950
Edward Thomas Copson 1950 | 1969
John Mackintosh Howie 1970 | 1997
1997 2015 vacant
Igor Rivin 2015 2017
Kenneth J. Falconer 2017 today After studying at Cambridge, Falconer taught at St Andrews since 1993.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Penny Pirie-Gorden: A Portrait of James Gregory, FRS . (PDF) The Baronage Press, London 2006; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ a b Biography of James Gregory on the University of St. Andrews website; Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  3. ^ A b Elizabeth Gibney: New Regius professorships announced for 12 universities . In: Times Higher Education , Jan. 29, 2013; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  4. ^ Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual. In: London Gazette , February 20, 2014; Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: Robert Haldane . In: MacTutor History of Mathematics , 2006; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: Herbert Westren Turnbull . University of St Andrews website, 2003; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: Mathematics in St Andrews to 1700 ; on the University of St Andrews website, 1996; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ a b c New Regius and Gregory Professors appointed . University of St Andrews press release, May 7, 2015; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  9. ↑ a b c J. and E. Parker: The Edinburgh Encyclopædia Conducted by David Brewster, with the Assistance of Gentlemen Eminent in Science and Literature ; Volume 10. Joseph and Edward Parker, Philadelphia 1832.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g h JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: Nicolas Vilant , on the University of St Andrews website, 2010; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  11. ↑ a b c d e Alex DD Craik: A forgotten British analyst: Nicolas Vilant (1737–1807) . ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ; PDF) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Historia Mathematica , 39, 2012, pp. 174-205; accessed on November 27, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / turing.une.edu.au
  12. ^ A b Raymond Flood, Adrian Rice, Robin Wilson: Mathematics in Victorian Britain . Oxford University Press, 2011.
  13. ↑ Alex DD Craik: Mr Hopkins' Men: Cambridge Reform and British Mathematics in the 19th Century . Springer Verlag, 2008.
  14. ^ A b c RR: Reading the Collections , Week 18: Student Reminiscences .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. University of St Andrews website. June 9, 2015; accessed on November 27, 2015.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / library.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk  
  15. ↑ Professor Thomas Duncan, St Andrews - October 18th, 1820. Sons of the City of Dundee, at fdca.org.uk; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  16. ↑ a b c d JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: John Couch Adams on the University of St Andrews website, 2005; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  17. ↑ a b c d e f g h JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: Scotland in 1883 and the Edinburgh Mathematical Society on the University of St Andrews website, 2008; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  18. ^ A b c d JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: George Chrystal. University of St Andrews website, 2003; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ a b c d e f JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: Peter Redford Scott Lang on the University of St Andrews website, 2007; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ a b c d e f E T Copson appointed Regius professor at St Andrews . University of St Andrews press release; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  21. ↑ a b Communication about the appointment of Edward Thomas Copson as Regius Professor of Mathematics at the United College of St. Salvator and St. Leonard in the University of St. Andrews. In: London Gazette , August 18, 1950.
  22. ↑ a b c d e f g JJ O'Connor, EF Robertson: John Mackintosh Howie on the University of St Andrews website, 2012; accessed on November 27, 2015.
  23. ^ A b Brian Donnelly: Queen appoints St Andrews professor as Regius Chair in Mathematics. In: The Herald. HeraldScotland.com, February 20, 2018, accessed March 15, 2018 .