William M. Kantor (born September 19, 1944) is an American mathematician who works in

finite group theory In abstract algebra, a finite group is a group whose underlying set is finite. Finite groups often arise when considering symmetry of mathematical or physical objects, when those objects admit just a finite number of structure-preserving tra ...

and finite geometries, particularly in computational aspects of these subjects.

Education and career

Kantor graduated with a bachelor's degree from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

in 1964. He went on to graduate studies at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, receiving his PhD in 1968 under the supervision of Peter Dembowski and R. H. Bruck. He then worked at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

from 1968 to 1971 before moving in 1971 to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, where he remained for the rest of his career. Kantor's research mostly involves

finite group In abstract algebra, a finite group is a group whose underlying set is finite. Finite groups often arise when considering symmetry of mathematical or physical objects, when those objects admit just a finite number of structure-preserving tra ...

s, often in relation to finite geometries and

computation A computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that is well-defined. Common examples of computation are mathematical equation solving and the execution of computer algorithms. Mechanical or electronic devices (or, hist ...

. Algorithms developed by him have found use, for example, in the GAP computer algebra system. Kantor has written over 170 papers, and has advised 7 PhD students.

Significant publications

Books and monographs

* *

Journal articles

* * *

Awards and honors

* In 2013, Kantor was named 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, ...

as a member of the inaugural class of fellows. * In 2004, a conference "Finite geometries, groups, and computation" was held in honor of Kantor's 60th birthday. * In 1998, Kantor gave an invited talk at the

International Congress of Mathematicians The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union (IMU). The Fields Medals, the IMU Abacus Medal (known before ...

in Berlin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kantor, William 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians Brooklyn College alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Oregon faculty University of Illinois Chicago faculty Fellows of the American Mathematical Society Living people 1944 births