Maths

Apart from a couple of years at Oxford the remainder of my mathematical career has been at the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK. I am currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the department and sit on various committees within the University, many involved with teaching and learning. My mathematical interests are summarised below and within the links to other pages on this site.

Bifurcations with Symmetry

hydrophone-arrayMy main area of research leading on from the work I did for my PhD thesis, also known as Equivariant Bifurcation Theory, I am interested in both the theory (in particular of coupled networks of cells) and interesting applications (such as arrays of hydrophones and insect locomotion). Read more here.

 

Insect Locomotion

legnumberingA topic I have been interested in since the final year of my undergraduate degree, and the topic of my MSc. dissertation. Research into how insects walk has applications in robotics but is also of great interest to biologists since the mathematics can try to unravel how the so called Central Pattern Generator may be wired up, and how it may have evolved over time. Read more here.

 

Mathematics in Industry

goodandbadspringsI have also been involved in the use of mathematics in solving industrial problems, most recently through the European Study Groups with Industry. Problems have been from a wide range of diverse topics such as chlorination of swimming pools to scheduling of plane departures at Heathrow Airport. Read more here.

 

Gifted and Talented

PrintInvolvement in Gifted and Talented going back over 10 years, mostly through the University’s G&T organisations NAGTY (National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth) and now IGGY (International Gateway for Gifted Youth). Involvement has been though running summer school courses in both the UK and abroad, blended and online provision, workshops and consultations. Read more here.

 

Education in Second Life

mathsisland_largeThere is a large and vibrant educational community in Second Life and other virtual worlds which I have been part of for a number of years. As part of this I maintain an island for the Mathematics Department with a mixture of mathematical sculptures and tutorials, and an active sandbox. The beauty of Second Life is the ability for students to explore three-dimensional objects in an immersive environment that is both flexible, and free. Read more here.

 

Lecture Modules

Within the department I have been teaching several large (up to 350 plus students) core undergraduate modules as well as a 2nd/3rd year module covering basic techniques in systems of nonlinear ODEs from an application driven point of view.  Read more here.

 

Related posts:

  • Covid Teaching – A Late Reflection
    As the memory of Covid lockdown starts to fade, I’ve rediscovered a draft I’d started on moving lectures online so thought I should revisit it and get it finished before I’ve completely forgotten. Who knows, perhaps I’ll need to refer to this post in the future if we, heaven forbid, get another one! I’ll concentrate ...
  • Wendy Taylor Dung Beetles at Murray Edwards College
    I’m currently attending the 145th European Study Group with Industry, this year’s UK version being held at Cambridge University (if anyone is interested I’m in the group looking at monitoring the flow of chemicals from crop treatment in groundwater). I’m being put up in some lovely accommodation at Murray Edwards College, and every morning ...
  • Bifurcations, Catastrophes and Symmetry
     Autumn 2016: a new academic year, a new term, time for a new module!  Well, not entirely new since half of it was largely based on a module I taught the previous couple of years (but with much of the detail removed to concentrate more on the ideas and applications), but still this was a ...
  • Microsculpture: The Insect Portraits Of Levon Biss
      The Oxford Natural History Museum is a wonderful gem of a building (not least because of the amazing Pitt Rivers museum tucked away at the back, with every corner, shelf and drawer stuffed with antiquity) and amongst the dinosaur bones and dodos there’s often a temporary exhibition which at the moment is the outstanding ...
  • Metal Earth Stag Beetle
    Another toy for my office! This metal model of a stag beetle comes flatpacked, as with a previous one, but is a lot more fiddly to put together. End product though turns out to be worth the extra effort. I also have an unmade tarantula sitting on my bookshelf, but given that the legs ...
  • Through The Keyhole
    We recently had a cameraman and interviewer coming round the department to film a new admissions video for us (will link to it here when it’s ready) and although I’d cleaned my blackboard especially it was decided that there were going to be too many blackboards in the film already and why not use my ...
  • Dave’s Maths Genealogy
    So it looks like I’m “related” to Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei (to go with my rather ordinary Erdös number of 4). The following graphic has been compiled using the Mathematics Genealogy Project hosted by North Dakota State University based on PhD. supervisors (although the further back you go I guess it gets a bit more vague than current ...
  • Warwick in Africa: new promotional video
    New 2013 promotional video for Warwick in Africa introduced by George Alagiah (or skip to 4:20 to see me!). Warwick in Africa is volunteering organisation based in the Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, which sends out students and teachers to schools in South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania every year to teach in schools and provide ...
  • Warwick In Africa 2013: Limpopo
    Last August it was with some trepidation that I set off for my second year on the ground with Warwick in Africa, destination rural Limpopo, South Africa. Although having been involved with the scheme for many years through my position at the University, last year was the first time I’d been actively involved as part ...
  • Updates and Musings
    This is a quick post that isn’t really designed to be read, but is to collect my thoughts about what jobs need to be done around my various web presences such as updating, tidying up, general procrastination as well as maybe other projects that have fallen by the wayside that need to be picked up again. ...

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