Johann Richard Pfanzagl (2 July 1928 – 4 June 2019) was an Austrian mathematician known for his research in

mathematical statistics Mathematical statistics is the application of probability theory and other mathematical concepts to statistics, as opposed to techniques for collecting statistical data. Specific mathematical techniques that are commonly used in statistics inc ...

Life and career

Pfanzagl studied from 1946 to 1951 at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

and received his doctorate there in 1951 with

Johann Radon Johann Karl August Radon (; 16 December 1887 – 25 May 1956) was an Austrian mathematician. His doctoral dissertation was on the calculus of variations (in 1910, at the University of Vienna). Life RadonBrigitte Bukovics: ''Biography of Johan ...

and Edmund Hlawka on the topic of

Hermitian form In mathematics, a sesquilinear form is a generalization of a bilinear form that, in turn, is a generalization of the concept of the dot product of Euclidean space. A bilinear form is linear map, linear in each of its arguments, but a sesquilinear f ...

s in imaginary square number fields. In the same year he became a founding member of the Austrian Statistical Society, of which he was executive secretary from 1955 to 1959. From 1951 to 1959, Pfanzagl headed the statistical office of the

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber The Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (German language, de: ''Wirtschaftskammer Österreich'' or WKO) functions as the federal parent organization for the nine States of Austria, State Chambers and 110 trade associations for different industries w ...

. In 1959 he habilitated as a professor for statistics at the

. Since 1960 he was a member of the

Austrian Mathematical Society The Austrian Mathematical Society () is the national mathematical society of Austria and a member society of the European Mathematical Society. History The society was founded in 1903 by Ludwig Boltzmann, Gustav von Escherich, and Emil Müller ...

. At the same year, he moved to the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne () is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in 1388. It closed in 1798 before being re-established in 1919. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with around 45,187 students. The Universit ...

, where he has held two chairs, one after the other, from 1960 to 1964 for economic and social statistics and from 1964 until his retirement in 1995 for mathematical statistics. Pfanzagl became an honorary member of the

Institute of Mathematical Statistics The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts ...

in 1968. From 1993 he was a corresponding member of the mathematics and natural sciences class abroad at the

Austrian Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...

and received an honorary doctorate from the

Vienna University of Economics and Business The Vienna University of Economics and Business ( , WU) is a public research university in Vienna, Austria. The university received triple accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA). History WU was founded on 1 October 1898 as '' k.u.k. Exportakade ...

in 1993. He became an honorary member of the Austrian Statistical Society in 1996.

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * ''Die axiomatischen Grundlagen einer allgemeinen Theorie des Messens.'' Schriftenreihe des Statistischen Instituts der Universität Wien N. F. Nr. 1, Physica-Verlag, 1959.

References

External links

Über Johann Pfanzagl
Facultas Verlags- und Buchhandels AG, retrieved 22 September 2022
Johann Pfanzagl
Mathematics Genealogy Project, retrieved 22 September 2022
J. Pfanzagl
Website der Universität zu Köln, Abteilung Mathematik, retrieved 22 September 2022 * ''Johann Richard Pfanzagl 1928–2019.'' In: Österreichische Mathematische Gesellschaft (Hrsg.): ''Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten.'' Nr. 242, 73. Jahrgang, December 2019, Kapitel: ''Nachrichten der Österreichischen Mathematischen Gesellschaft.'' , S. 45.
oemg.ac.at
PDF). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pfanzagl, Johann 2019 deaths 1928 births Academic staff of the University of Cologne Corresponding Members of the Austrian Academy of Sciences University of Vienna alumni 20th-century Austrian mathematicians Austrian statisticians Academic staff of the University of Vienna Mathematical statisticians Mathematicians from Vienna