Alex James is a British and New Zealand applied mathematician and

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

whose research involves the

mathematical model A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, ...

ing of wildlife behaviour, gender disparities in academia, and the

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. She is a professor in the school of mathematics and statistics at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

in New Zealand,.

Education and career

After studying mathematics at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

in England, James earned a master's degree at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, and completed a PhD at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, working there with John Brindley on

combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combusti ...

engineering and

catalytic converter A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usually ...

s. She became a lecturer at

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

in 2001, and moved to the University of Canterbury in 2004.

Recognition

James was named a Fellow of the New Zealand Mathematical Society (NZMS) in 2015, and won the 2018 NZMS Research Award. She was on the team that won the Prime Minister's Science prize in 2020 and won the University of Canterbury Research medal jointly in 2021. She was awarded the NZIAM EO Tuck medal in 2024.

References

External links

Home page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Alex Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British mathematicians British biologists 21st-century British women mathematicians British women biologists New Zealand mathematicians New Zealand biologists 21st-century New Zealand women scientists Applied mathematicians Theoretical biologists Alumni of Newcastle University Alumni of University College London Alumni of the University of Leeds Academics of Sheffield Hallam University Academic staff of the University of Canterbury New Zealand women mathematicians