Clemency Montelle facts for kids
Clemency Montelle was born on July 8, 1977. She is a New Zealand expert who studies the history of mathematics. She is especially known for her work on ancient Indian mathematics and astronomy. Clemency Montelle is a professor of mathematics at the University of Canterbury. She is also a fellow at the New Zealand India Research Institute.
About Clemency Montelle
Clemency Montelle grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand. She went to the University of Canterbury for her studies. In 1999, she earned top grades in both mathematics and classical studies. She then finished her master's degree in 2000.
During her studies, she found an old book by Euclid written in ancient Greek. This made her realize she could combine her love for math and history. She decided to focus on the history of mathematics.
Later, she received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Scholarship. This allowed her to study at Brown University in the United States. There, she learned ancient languages like Cuneiform, Sanskrit, and Arabic. In 2005, she earned her Ph.D. (a very high degree) in the history of mathematics.
Her Work
Clemency Montelle has helped lead groups that study the history of ancient and medieval astronomy. From 2017 to 2021, she was the vice president of a special commission for this topic.
She has also written several books about her research. Her book Chasing Shadows (published in 2011) is about how people in the past understood eclipses using math and astronomy. She also co-wrote Sanskrit Astronomical Tables (published in 2019) with Kim Plofker. This book looks at old astronomical tables written in Sanskrit.
