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 and writes popular books about math and science.
He used to be a fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and Wadham College, Oxford. He also led the Mathematical Association. In 1996, he was given the special title of Professor of Mathematics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marcus du Sautoy was born in London. His father worked with computers, and his mother used to work for the government before raising her children. Marcus grew up in Henley-on-Thames. His grandfather, Peter du Sautoy, was in charge of a publishing company called Faber and Faber.
Marcus went to Gillotts Comprehensive School and Henley College. He then studied at Wadham College, Oxford, where he earned a top degree in mathematics. In 1991, he finished his doctorate (a very high degree) in mathematics.
Career and Research
Marcus du Sautoy's work uses ideas from number theory to explore the math of symmetry. His main academic work is in group theory and number theory.
He is well-known for making mathematics easy to understand for everyone. The Independent on Sunday newspaper has called him one of the UK's top scientists. He has also helped with Mangahigh.com, a website with math games.
Marcus often talks on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time show. He has also written for The Times and The Guardian newspapers. He has written many articles and books about math. His latest book, The Creativity Code, explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is learning to be creative.
He also helps lead PRiSM, a center that combines science and music at the Royal Northern College of Music. He started this center with composer Emily Howard.
Books by Marcus du Sautoy
Marcus du Sautoy has written many popular books about math and science, including:
- 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 Shows
Marcus du Sautoy has presented many TV 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 ask math questions based on real-world problems. Dara and a guest would then try to solve them.
In December 2006, Marcus gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. These talks were called The Num8er My5teries. It was only the third time these famous lectures were about mathematics. When the first math lecture happened in 1978, Marcus was a schoolboy in the audience!
Other TV shows he has worked on 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 film based on his book.
- Painting with Numbers (Teachers TV, 2006): Four short programs about topics like risk, probability, infinity, and codes.
- The Num8er My5teries: Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (Channel 5, 2006): Five lectures about big unsolved math problems.
- The Story of Maths (BBC Four, 2008): A four-part series where he explored math ideas from different times and cultures.
- Horizon: Alan and Marcus Go Forth and Multiply (BBC 2, 2009): He helped Alan Davies on a math journey.
- Horizon: The Secret You (BBC 2, 2009): Marcus looked into what makes us self-aware.
- Horizon: How Long is a Piece of String? (BBC 2, 2009): He helped Alan Davies answer this famous question.
- Horizon: What Makes a Genius? (BBC 2, 2010): Marcus explored if geniuses' brains are different.
- The Beauty of Diagrams (BBC Four, 2010): Marcus talked about important scientific drawings, like Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.
- The Code (BBC 2, 2011): A three-part series about patterns in the world.
- Faster Than the Speed of Light? (BBC 2, 2011): Marcus discussed a discovery about tiny particles called neutrinos.
- Horizon: The Hunt for AI (BBC 2, 2012): Marcus explored how close we are to creating thinking computers.
- Dara Ó Briain's School of Hard Sums (Dave, 2012): He co-hosted this show where people solved math problems.
- Precision: The Measure of All Things (BBC Four, 2013): Professor du Sautoy explored why we measure everything around us.
- The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms (BBC Four, 2015): He explained the hidden world of algorithms.
Awards and Honours
Marcus du Sautoy has received several important awards:
- In 2001, he won the Berwick Prize from the London Mathematical Society for his excellent math research.
- In 2009, he received the Michael Faraday Prize from the Royal Society of London. This award is for being great at explaining science to people in the UK.
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010 for his contributions to science.
- He became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012.
- 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 (soccer) and the trumpet. He met his wife, Shani, when he was working as a researcher in Jerusalem. They have three children.
Marcus supports Common Hope, an organization that helps people in Guatemala. His godmother was Valerie Eliot, the wife of famous writer T.S. Eliot.
