Marcus du Sautoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcus du Sautoy
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Du Sautoy in 2016
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| Born |
Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy
26 August 1965 |
| Citizenship | British |
| Education | King James's Sixth Form College Gillots Comprehensive School |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (BA, DPhil) |
| Known for | The Music of the Primes |
| Spouse(s) |
Shani Ram
(m. 1994) |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics Symmetry Group theory Number theory Public engagement |
| Institutions | All Souls College, Oxford Wadham College, Oxford New College, Oxford Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Thesis | Discrete Groups, Analytic Groups and Poincaré Series (1989) |
| Doctoral advisor | Dan Segal |
Marcus du Sautoy (born 26 August 1965) is a British mathematician. He is a professor at the University of Oxford who helps people understand science. He is also a Fellow at New College, Oxford. Marcus du Sautoy has written many popular books about mathematics and science.
In 1996, he was given the special title of Professor of Mathematics by the University of Oxford.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marcus du Sautoy was born in London, England. He grew up in a town called Henley-on-Thames. His father worked with computers, and his mother raised him and his siblings. His grandfather, Peter du Sautoy, was in charge of a famous publishing company called Faber and Faber.
Marcus went to Gillotts Comprehensive School and King James's Sixth Form College. He then studied at Wadham College, Oxford, where he earned a top degree in mathematics. In 1991, he completed his advanced degree (a doctorate) in mathematics.
Career and Research
Marcus du Sautoy's main work in mathematics explores the idea of symmetry. He uses classic tools from number theory to understand the mathematics behind patterns. His academic work mostly focuses on group theory and number theory.
He is well-known for making mathematics fun and easy to understand for everyone. The Independent on Sunday newspaper even called him one of the UK's top scientists. He has also helped with Mangahigh.com, a website with online maths games.
Marcus often talks about science on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time show. He has also written articles for newspapers like The Times and The Guardian. He has written many academic papers and books about mathematics. His recent book, The Creativity Code, looks at how creative artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming.
He also helps lead PRiSM, a special center at the Royal Northern College of Music. This center studies how science and music are connected. He started it with composer Emily Howard.
Books by Marcus du Sautoy
Marcus du Sautoy has written several popular books that make mathematics and science exciting. Some of his books include:
- The Music of the Primes
- Finding Moonshine
- Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature
- The Num8er My5teries: A Mathematical Odyssey Through Everyday Life
- What We Cannot Know
- The Great Unknown: Seven Journeys to the Frontiers of Science
- The Creativity Code: How AI Is Learning to Write, Paint and Think
- Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut
- Around the World in 80 Games: A mathematician unlocks the secrets of the greatest games
- Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity
Television Appearances
Marcus du Sautoy has presented and appeared in many television shows. He hosted the BBC Four show Mind Games. He also co-hosted School of Hard Sums with comedian Dara Ó Briain. On this show, Marcus would give mathematical problems based on real-life situations. Dara and a guest would then try to solve them.
In December 2006, Marcus gave the famous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. These lectures were called The Num8er My5teries. It was only the third time these lectures had been about mathematics. When the first maths lecture happened in 1978, Marcus was a schoolboy in the audience!
Other TV shows he has been part of include:
- Mindgames (BBC Four, 2004–2005): He presented 20 episodes of this puzzle game show.
- The Music of the Primes (BBC Four, 2005): A one-hour documentary based on his book.
- The Num8er My5teries: Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (Channel 5, 2006): Five lectures about big unsolved problems in mathematics.
- The Story of Maths (BBC Four, 2008): A four-part series where he explored maths techniques from different times and cultures.
- Horizon: Alan and Marcus Go Forth and Multiply (BBC 2, 2009): He helped Alan Davies on a maths adventure.
- The Code (BBC 2, 2011): A three-part documentary series about patterns in the world.
- Dara Ó Briain's School of Hard Sums (Dave, 2012): He co-hosted this show, posing maths problems for Dara and guests to solve.
- Precision: The Measure of All Things (BBC Four, 2013): He explored why we measure and count things in the world.
- The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms (BBC Four, 2015): He explained the hidden world of algorithms.
Awards and Recognition
Marcus du Sautoy has received many awards for his work. In 2001, he won the Berwick Prize for his excellent mathematical research. In 2009, he received the Michael Faraday Prize from the Royal Society of London. This award was for his great work in explaining science to people in the UK.
He was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010 for his contributions to science. In 2016, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), which is a very high honor for scientists.
Personal Life
Marcus du Sautoy lives in London with his family. He enjoys playing football and the trumpet. He met his wife, Shani, when he was working as a researcher in Jerusalem. They have three children.
Marcus is an atheist, meaning he does not believe in a god. However, he has said that his role as a professor is to focus on science, not religion. He jokes that his own "religion" is supporting the Arsenal football team, because he sees religion as a way to belong to a community.
He also supports Common Hope, an organization that helps people in Guatemala.
