Ioan James facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ioan James
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| Born | 23 May 1928 |
| Died | 21 February 2025 (aged 96) |
| Alma mater | St Paul's, The Queen's, Oxford |
| Awards | Berwick Prize (1959) Senior Whitehead Prize (1978) |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisor | J. H. C. Whitehead |
| Doctoral students |
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Ioan Mackenzie James (born May 23, 1928 – died February 21, 2025) was a famous British mathematician. He worked in a special area of math called topology, especially homotopy theory. These fields study the shapes and spaces of objects, even when they are stretched or bent.
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A Look at Ioan James's Life
Ioan James was born in Croydon, a town in Surrey, England. He went to school at St Paul's School, London and then studied at Queen's College, Oxford, which is a part of the famous University of Oxford.
In 1953, he earned his highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.). His main project was about "algebraic topology," which uses tools from algebra to study shapes. His teacher and guide for this work was a well-known mathematician named J. H. C. Whitehead.
His Career in Mathematics
After finishing his studies, Ioan James became a "reader" in pure mathematics in 1957. This is like being a senior teacher and researcher at a university. He held this important job until 1969.
From 1959 to 1969, he was also a senior research fellow at St John's College, Oxford. This meant he could focus a lot of his time on doing new math research.
In 1970, he was given a very special position: the Savilian Chair of Geometry at the University of Oxford. This is one of the oldest and most respected math jobs in the world! He held this chair for 25 years, until 1995. After that, he became a professor emeritus, meaning he was still connected to the university even after retiring.
Awards and Recognition
Ioan James was recognized for his amazing work in mathematics. In 1968, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a huge honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
In 1978, the London Mathematical Society gave him the Senior Whitehead Prize. This award was created to honor his former teacher, J. H. C. Whitehead. Later, in 1984, Ioan James became the President of the London Mathematical Society, showing how respected he was by other mathematicians.
His Family Life
In 1961, Ioan James married Rosemary Stewart. She was also a talented person, known for her writing and research in business and healthcare. Rosemary passed away in 2015 when she was 90 years old. Ioan James lived to be 96 years old, passing away on February 21, 2025.
Books by Ioan James
Ioan James wrote many books about mathematics and famous scientists. Some of his books include:
- Topologies and Uniformities (1999)
- Remarkable Mathematicians, From Euler to von Neumann (2002)
- Remarkable Physicists: From Galileo to Yukawa (2004)
- Asperger's Syndrome And High Achievement: Some Very Remarkable People (2005)
- The Mind of the Mathematician (with Michael Fitzgerald) (2007)
- Driven to Innovate: A Century of Jewish Mathematicians and Physicists (2009)
- Remarkable Biologists: From Ray to Hamilton (2009)
- Remarkable Engineers: From Riquet to Shannon (2010)
