John Kingman facts for kids

Sir John Frank Charles Kingman, born on August 28, 1939, is a famous British mathematician. He was a professor of mathematical sciences at the University of Cambridge and led the Isaac Newton Institute from 2001 to 2006. He is best known for creating the coalescent theory. This is a special math idea that helps scientists understand how genes are passed down through families over many generations. It's super important for studying how populations change over time.

Early Life and Education

John Kingman was born in Beckenham, Kent, England. He grew up near London. His grandfather was a coal miner, and his father was a government scientist. John went to Christ's College, Finchley, which was a state grammar school at the time.

In 1956, he won a scholarship to study mathematics at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After finishing his degree in 1960, he started working on his PhD. He studied topics like queueing theory, which looks at waiting lines, and Markov chains, which are mathematical models for sequences of events.

A Career in Mathematics

John Kingman's early career involved moving between universities. His first PhD supervisor, Peter Whittle, moved to the University of Manchester. Instead of following him, Kingman went to the University of Oxford. There, he continued his research with David Kendall.

After a year, Kendall became a professor at Cambridge. So, Kingman returned to Cambridge, but this time as a teacher and a Fellow of Pembroke College. He never actually finished his PhD.

Teaching at Sussex and Oxford

In 1964, John Kingman married Valerie Crompton, a historian. In 1965, he became a Reader at the new University of Sussex, where his wife was teaching. He quickly became a Professor of Mathematics and Statistics there after just one year. He really enjoyed his time at Sussex, saying it was "exciting" and full of "ideas and opportunities."

In 1969, he moved to Oxford to become the Wallis Professor of Mathematics. He held this important position until 1985. He worked hard to improve the study of statistics at Oxford, which he felt needed a lot of help.

Developing the Coalescent Theory

While at Oxford, John Kingman also held a fellowship at St Anne's College, Oxford. He chaired the Science and Engineering Research Council from 1981 to 1985. This council helps fund science and engineering research in the UK.

During this time, he developed his famous coalescent theory. This theory looks backward in time to understand how individuals in a population are related. It makes it much easier to study how genes change in populations over many generations. This theory is now a key part of modern population genetics.

Leading the University of Bristol

In October 1985, John Kingman was chosen to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol. He stayed in Bristol until 2001. As Vice-Chancellor, he was like the head of the university.

While at Bristol, he also took on other important roles. He was president of the Royal Statistical Society from 1987 to 1989. He also led the London Mathematical Society from 1990 to 1992. He served on the board of the British Council and the British Technology Group. He also worked as a director for companies like IBM and SmithKline Beecham.

In 2000, he became the first chairman of the Statistics Commission. This group oversees the work of the Office for National Statistics, which collects important data for the UK government.

Honors and Awards

John Kingman has received many honors for his important work. In 1985, Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight. This means he can use "Sir" before his name.

He has also received honorary degrees from several universities, including the University of Sussex and the University of Bristol. The London Mathematical Society gave him the Berwick Prize in 1967.

In 1971, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists. He later received the Royal Medal from the Royal Society in 1983. This award recognized his important research on queueing theory, regenerative phenomena, and mathematical genetics. The Royal Statistical Society also awarded him the Guy Medal in silver in 1981.

Personal Life

Sir John Kingman married Valerie Cromwell in 1964. They had two children, including John Oliver Frank Kingman. Lady Kingman passed away in 2018.