Jonathan Peter Keating (born 20 September 1963) is a British mathematician. As of September 2019, he is the
Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy
The Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy is the name of a chair at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford.
Overview
The Sedleian Chair was founded by Sir William Sedley who, by his will dated 20 October 1618, left the sum o ...
at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
, and from 2012 to 2019 was the Henry Overton Wills Professor of Mathematics at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
, where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Science (2009–2013). He has made contributions to
applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathemati ...
and
mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of 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 developme ...
, in particular to
quantum chaos
Quantum chaos is a branch of physics which studies how chaotic classical dynamical systems can be described in terms of quantum theory. The primary question that quantum chaos seeks to answer is: "What is the relationship between quantum mech ...
,
random matrix theory
In probability theory and mathematical physics, a random matrix is a matrix-valued random variable—that is, a matrix in which some or all elements are random variables. Many important properties of physical systems can be represented mathemat ...
and
number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Mat ...
.
Education
He read for an MA in physics at
New College, Oxford, before obtaining his PhD in 1989 at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
supervised by
Michael Berry.
[
]
Research and career
He lectured in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathemati ...
at the University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...
from 1991–1995 before moving to the University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
, as a reader in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathemati ...
(1995–1997) and then as a professor in mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of 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 developme ...
(1997–2012). He served as head of the Mathematics department (2001–2004) and was appointed to the Henry Overton Wills Chair in Mathematics at Bristol in 2012. His research has focused on quantum chaos
Quantum chaos is a branch of physics which studies how chaotic classical dynamical systems can be described in terms of quantum theory. The primary question that quantum chaos seeks to answer is: "What is the relationship between quantum mech ...
, random matrix theory
In probability theory and mathematical physics, a random matrix is a matrix-valued random variable—that is, a matrix in which some or all elements are random variables. Many important properties of physical systems can be represented mathemat ...
and its connection to number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Mat ...
, especially the theory of the Riemann zeta-function
The Riemann zeta function or Euler–Riemann zeta function, denoted by the Greek letter (zeta), is a mathematical function of a complex variable defined as \zeta(s) = \sum_^\infty \frac = \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots for \operatorname(s) > ...
and other L-function
In mathematics, an ''L''-function is a meromorphic function on the complex plane, associated to one out of several categories of mathematical objects. An ''L''-series is a Dirichlet series, usually convergent on a half-plane, that may give ri ...
s. He is known for his work on the resummation of semiclassical periodic orbit formulae, the statistics of quantum energy levels, quantum maps, quantum graph In mathematics and physics, a quantum graph is a linear, network-shaped structure of vertices connected on edges (i.e., a graph) in which each edge is given a length and where a differential (or pseudo-differential) equation is posed on each edge. ...
s, the statistics of the zeros of the Riemann zeta-function
The Riemann zeta function or Euler–Riemann zeta function, denoted by the Greek letter (zeta), is a mathematical function of a complex variable defined as \zeta(s) = \sum_^\infty \frac = \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots for \operatorname(s) > ...
and other , and the moments of the Riemann zeta-function and other . He has served on the editorial boards of several peer review
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
ed scientific journals including:
* Member (1996–2004) of the editorial board of ''Journal of Physics A''.
* Member (1997–2004) of the editorial board of ''Nonlinearity
In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many other ...
''.
* Joint Editor-in-Chief (2004–2012) of ''Nonlinearity
In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many other ...
''.
* Member (2003–2017) of the editorial board of ''Applied Mathematics Research Express''.
* Member (2007–present) of the editorial board of '' Journal of Mathematical Physics''.
He was the Chair of the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research until July 2020.
In September 2019, he succeeded John M. Ball as Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy
The Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy is the name of a chair at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford.
Overview
The Sedleian Chair was founded by Sir William Sedley who, by his will dated 20 October 1618, left the sum o ...
at the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
.
In November 2019 he succeeded Caroline Series as president of the London Mathematical Society.
His doctoral students include Nina Snaith.
Awards and honours
Between 2004 and 2009 Keating was supported by an EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
(FRS) in 2009.
In 2010, he was awarded the London Mathematical Society's Fröhlich Prize.
In 2014, he was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award
The Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award was an award made by the Royal Society from 2000 to 2020.
It was administered by the Royal Society and jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and the UK Office of Science and Technology, to provide ...
.
He holds an ERC Advanced Grant.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keating, Jonathan
1963 births
Living people
Alumni of New College, Oxford
Alumni of the University of Bristol
21st-century English mathematicians
Probability theorists
Academics of the University of Manchester
Academics of the University of Bristol
Fellows of The Queen's College, Oxford
Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders
Fellows of the Royal Society