The Herchel Smith Professorship of Pure Mathematics is a
professorship
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...
in
pure mathematics
Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications ...
at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. It was established in 2004 by a benefaction from
Herchel Smith "of £14.315m, to be divided into five equal parts, to support the full endowment of five Professorships in the fields of Pure Mathematics, Physics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Molecular Genetics." When the position was advertised in 2004, the first holder was expected to focus on
mathematical analysis
Analysis is the branch of mathematics dealing with continuous functions, limit (mathematics), limits, and related theories, such as Derivative, differentiation, Integral, integration, measure (mathematics), measure, infinite sequences, series ( ...
.
List of Herchel Smith Professors of Pure Mathematics
* 2006–2013
Ben J. Green
* 2019–present Pierre Raphael
References
Report of the General Board on the establishment of a Herchel Smith Professorship of Pure Mathematics Cambridge University Reporter, 3 March 2004
University left 'biggest' bequest BBC News, 25 June 2002
telegraph.co.uk, 26 June 2002
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Pure Mathematics, Smith, Herchel
Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge
2004 establishments in England
Pure Mathematics, Smith, Herchel
Mathematics education in the United Kingdom