Michael Charles Reed is an American mathematician known for his contributions to

mathematical physics Mathematical physics is the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the de ...

and

mathematical biology Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development ...

. Reed first attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree. In 1969 he earned a PhD from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. Since 1977 he has taught at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, where he is the Bishop-MacDermott Professor of Mathematics. To clarify the mathematics supporting the theories of

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

, he joined with Barry Simon to publish ''Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics'' in four volumes during the 1970s. In a review, William Faris wrote :The value of the Reed and Simon volumes is that they provide a bridge between abstract

functional analysis Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (for example, Inner product space#Definition, inner product, Norm (mathematics ...

and concrete problems of physics. There are no other books with the same scope... The Reed and Simon series is the one place where the recent discoveries of mathematical physics are consolidated. Its volumes are for anyone who has encountered the frustration and fascination of quantum mechanics and wants to begin the serious task of learning the mathematics behind it. Subsequently, Reed has since worked predominantly in applications of

analysis Analysis (: analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (38 ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

. He has described some of the challenges of the field. A conference in 2007 ''Applications of Analysis to Mathematical Biology'' honored Prof. Reed's sixty-fifth birthday; Prof. Simon was among the invited speakers. In 2012 he became a fellow of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

''Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics''

Four volumes written with Barry Simon and published by

Academic Press Academic Press (AP) is an academic book publisher founded in 1941. It launched a British division in the 1950s. Academic Press was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier said in 2000 it would buy Harcourt, a deal complete ...

: * 1972: Vol. I: ''Functional Analysis'' * 1975: Vol. II: ''Fourier Analysis, Self-Adjointness'' * 1978: Vol. III: ''Scattering Theory'' * 1977: Vol. IV: ''Analysis of Operators''

References

External links

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Michael C. 1942 births Living people 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians Yale University alumni Stanford University alumni Duke University faculty Fellows of the American Mathematical Society American mathematical physicists