Projective Spaces and Associated Maps served as the foundational PhD thesis for Elmer Gethin Rees, completed in 1967 at the University of Warwick under the supervision of David B. A. Epstein. This early academic milestone initiated a prolific career that saw him traverse various international institutions before establishing a long-term professional base within the Scottish capital.
Academic Trajectory and Research
Born in Llandybie in 1941, Rees pursued his undergraduate studies at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. His intellectual focus spanned a diverse spectrum of mathematical disciplines, specifically topology, differential geometry, algebraic geometry, linear algebra, and Morse theory. His expertise eventually extended into the practical applications of robotics. Throughout his tenure at the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh, he fostered the development of emerging scholars, supervising at least 15 doctoral candidates, including Anthony Bahri, John D. S. Jones, Gregory Lupton, Jacob Mostovoy, Simon Willerton, and Richard Hepworth.
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Rees held faculty positions at several institutions throughout his career, including the University of Hull, Swansea University, and St Catherine's College, Oxford. In 1979, he accepted a professorship at the University of Edinburgh, where he remained until his retirement in 2005. A significant contribution to the academic landscape was his role as the inaugural Director of the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research. From 2005 to 2009, he managed this collaboration between the University of Bristol and GCHQ, the British signals intelligence agency. Additionally, he was instrumental in the founding of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences.
Honours and Recognition
The mathematical community recognized his contributions through several prestigious fellowships and appointments. He gained election as a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1982. Further institutional honors followed, including his admission to the Learned Society of Wales in 2011. In the 2009 Birthday Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He also received the Forder Lectureship in 1995. Following his active career, he resided in Bristol, where he died in 2019.
Fast facts
- Born: 1941, Llandybie
- Died: 2019, Bristol
- PhD: 1967, University of Warwick
- Primary Fields: Topology, Differential Geometry, Algebraic Geometry
- CBE Awarded: 2009
- Heilbronn Institute Director: 2005–2009
- Notable Membership: Royal Society of Edinburgh
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Elmer Gethin Rees study?
His research spanned topology, differential geometry, algebraic geometry, linear algebra, Morse theory, and robotics.
Where did he hold his longest academic post?
He served as a professor at the University of Edinburgh from 1979 until his retirement in 2005.
Achievements
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Held posts at University of Edinburgh
- Fields: algebraic geometry, differential geometry and topology
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