Geoffrey Richard Grimmett (born 20 December 1950) 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 ...

known for his work on the mathematics of random systems arising in

probability theory Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with probability. Although there are several different probability interpretations, probability theory treats the concept in a rigorous mathematical manner by expressing it through a set ...

and

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. It does not assume or postulate any natural laws, but explains the macroscopic b ...

, especially

percolation theory In statistical physics and mathematics, percolation theory describes the behavior of a network when nodes or links are added. This is a geometric type of phase transition, since at a critical fraction of addition the network of small, disconnecte ...

and the

contact process The contact process is the current method of producing sulfuric acid in the high concentrations needed for industrial processes. Platinum was originally used as the catalyst for this reaction; however, as it is susceptible to reacting with arsenic ...

. He is the Professor of Mathematical Statistics in the

Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge The Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge comprises the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (DPMMS) and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP). It is housed in the Centre for ...

, and was the

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the old ...

, from 2013 to 2018.

Education

Grimmett was educated at

King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School (KES) is an independent day school for boys in the British public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by King Edward VI in 1552, it is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Bir ...

and

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ...

. He graduated in 1971, and completed his

DPhil 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 ...

in 1974 under the supervision of

John Hammersley John Michael Hammersley, (21 March 1920 – 2 May 2004) was a British mathematician best known for his foundational work in the theory of self-avoiding walks and percolation theory. Early life and education Hammersley was born in Helensbur ...

and Dominic Welsh.

Career and research

Grimmett served as the IBM

Research Fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at ...

, from 1974 to 1976 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 ...

. He was appointed Professor of Mathematical Statistics at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1992, becoming a fellow of

Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establis ...

. He was Director of the Statistical Laboratory from 1994 to 2000, Head of 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, ...

(DPMMS) from 2002 to 2007, and is a trustee of the

Rollo Davidson Prize The Rollo Davidson Prize is a prize awarded annually to early-career probabilists by the Rollo Davidson trustees. It is named after English mathematician Rollo Davidson (1944–1970). Rollo Davidson Trust In 1970, Rollo Davidson, a Fellow-elec ...

. He served as the managing editor of the journal ''

Probability Theory and Related Fields '' Probability Theory and Related Fields'' is a peer-reviewed mathematics journal published by Springer. Established in 1962, it was originally named ''Zeitschrift für Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie und verwandte Gebiete'', with the English replacing ...

'' from 2000 to 2005, and was appointed managing editor of '' Probability Surveys'' in 2009. At a time of flowering of

probabilistic method The probabilistic method is a nonconstructive method, primarily used in combinatorics and pioneered by Paul Erdős, for proving the existence of a prescribed kind of mathematical object. It works by showing that if one randomly chooses objects fr ...

s in all branches of mathematics, Grimmett is one of the broadest probabilists of his generation, and unquestionably a leading figure in the subject on the world scene. He is particularly recognised for his achievements in the rigorous theory of disordered physical systems. Especially influential is his work on and around

, the contact model for stochastic spatial epidemics, and the random-cluster model, a class that includes the

Ising Ising is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Ernst Ising (1900–1998), German physicist * Gustav Ising (1883–1960), Swedish accelerator physicist * Rudolf Ising, animator for ''MGM'', together with Hugh Harman often credited a ...

Potts model In statistical mechanics, the Potts model, a generalization of the Ising model, is a model of interacting spins on a crystalline lattice. By studying the Potts model, one may gain insight into the behaviour of ferromagnets and certain other phenom ...

s of

ferromagnetism Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials (such as iron) which results in a large observed magnetic permeability, and in many cases a large magnetic coercivity allowing the material to form a permanent magnet. Ferromagnetic materials ...

. His monograph on percolation is a standard work in a core area of probability, and is widely cited. His breadth within probability is emphasized by his important contributions to probabilistic

combinatorics Combinatorics is an area of mathematics primarily concerned with counting, both as a means and an end in obtaining results, and certain properties of finite structures. It is closely related to many other areas of mathematics and has many a ...

and probabilistic

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, "Ma ...

. In October 2013 he was appointed

, succeeding Barry Everitt.Professor Geoffrey Grimmett elected as next Master
/ref> He ended his term as Master on 30 September 2018, being replaced by

Alan Bookbinder Alan Peter Bookbinder (born 16 March 1956) is a British journalist, charity executive, and academic administrator. Since October 2018, he has served as Master of Downing College, Cambridge. He previously worked for the BBC, and was Director of th ...

. He was appointed Chair of the

Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research The Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research is an international research institute for mathematics based at the University of Bristol. It is named after the distinguished number theorist Hans Heilbronn who worked at Bristol University from 19 ...

in September 2020.

Awards and honours

Grimmett was awarded the

in 1989 and 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 mathemati ...

(FRS) in 2014. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where:

Personal life

Grimmett is the son of Benjamin J Grimmett and Patricia W (Lewis) Grimmett. He competed at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

as a member of the

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

Men's

Foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

Team, finishing 6th.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimmett, Geoffrey 1950 births Living people 20th-century English mathematicians 21st-century English mathematicians British male fencers Olympic fencers of Great Britain Fencers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge Fellows of New College, Oxford Cambridge mathematicians Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Probability theorists English statisticians Fellows of the Royal Society Masters of Downing College, Cambridge People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham Professors of the University of Cambridge Probability Theory and Related Fields editors Mathematical statisticians