William Bernard Raymond Lickorish (born 19 February 1938) is a
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
. He is
emeritus professor of
geometric topology in the
Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
,
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
, and also an emeritus fellow of
Pembroke College, Cambridge. His research interests include
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ...
and
knot theory. He was one of the discoverers of the
HOMFLY polynomial
In the mathematical field of knot theory, the HOMFLY polynomial or HOMFLYPT polynomial, sometimes called the generalized Jones polynomial, is a 2-variable knot polynomial, i.e. a knot invariant in the form of a polynomial of variables ''m'' and ' ...
invariant of links, and proved the
Lickorish-Wallace theorem which states that all closed orientable 3-manifolds can be obtained by
Dehn surgery
In topology, a branch of mathematics, a Dehn surgery, named after Max Dehn, is a construction used to modify 3-manifolds. The process takes as input a 3-manifold together with a link. It is often conceptualized as two steps: ''drilling'' then '' ...
on a link.
Education
Lickorish received his
Ph.D
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from Cambridge in 1964; his thesis was written under the supervision of
Christopher Zeeman
Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman FRS (4 February 1925 – 13 February 2016), was a British mathematician, known for his work in geometric topology and singularity theory.
Overview
Zeeman's main contributions to mathematics were in topology, partic ...
.
Recognition and awards
In 1991, Lickorish received the
Senior Whitehead Prize
The Senior Whitehead Prize of the London Mathematical Society (LMS) is now awarded in odd numbered years in memory of John Henry Constantine Whitehead, president of the LMS between 1953 and 1955. The Prize is awarded to mathematicians normally ...
from the
London Mathematical Society. Lickorish and
Kenneth Millett
Kenneth C. Millett (born 1941) is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. won the 1991
Chauvenet Prize
The Chauvenet Prize is the highest award for mathematical expository writing. It consists of a prize of $1,000 and a certificate, and is awarded yearly by the Mathematical Association of America in recognition of an outstanding expository article ...
for their paper "The New Polynomial Invariants of Knots and Links".
Lickorish was included in the 2019 class of fellows 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, ...
"for contributions to knot theory and low-dimensional topology".
Selected publications
*
*
*
See also
*
Lickorish twist theorem
*
Lickorish–Wallace theorem
In mathematics, the Lickorish–Wallace theorem in the theory of 3-manifolds states that any closed, orientable, connected 3-manifold may be obtained by performing Dehn surgery on a framed link in the 3-sphere with ±1 surgery coefficients. Fur ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lickorish, W. B. R.
1935 births
Living people
20th-century British mathematicians
21st-century British mathematicians
Topologists
Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Cambridge mathematicians
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Whitehead Prize winners