A potted biography of my education and academic positions in reverse chronological order…
2011-2013
Teaching and Researching at the University of Leeds
I am currently working at the University of Leeds, previously as a Teaching Fellow and since May 2013 as a Lecturer, where I am enjoying teaching Geometry, Number Theory, and Algebraic Topology. In terms of research, I have recently acquired an interest in the evolution of complex and nonlinear systems. (See my Research page.)
2009-2011
Visiting Fellowship at the University of Leeds
I primarily worked as a mathematical writer, and occasionally speaker, largely aiming at the general public rather than specialists. In what time I had left, I did some research in Model Theory, an area which bridges mathematical logic and algebra.
2008-2009
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (with Qualified Teacher Status)
I obtained a PGCE (with QTS) in teaching secondary mathematics at the University of Leeds’ School of Education. During this year I taught at Dixon’s City Academy in Bradford and Calder High School in Mytholmroyd, of both of which I have very fond memories. Over this period I also coached a student for UKMT competitions, and wrote several staggeringly tedious essays.
2006
Postdoctoral Scholarship at Albert-Ludwigs Universität
In the beautiful surroundings of Freiburg in the south of Germany, I did some research in Model Theory with the group led by Martin Ziegler.
2001-2005
Postgraduate Student at the University of Leeds
My PhD Thesis is entitled Dimension and Measure In Finite First Order Structures (pdf if you’re really interested) and was supervised by the delightful Dugald Macpherson
1997-2001
Undergraduate Student at the University of Oxford
MMath, 1st Class Honours, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Amongst many inspirational teachers were Peter Neumann, Martin Edwards, and Richard Earl.
What else can I tell you?
I’ve acted in 3 plays during my adult life (evidence), and was the president of the Oxford University Jazz Society for a year (1999-2000). I play the piano indifferently, and the bass worse, but neither is as bad as my singing. I speak Japanese at what is euphemistically termed an ‘intermediate’ level, and have a certificate from Leeds Metropolitan University to prove it. My Erdős number is 3. My mathematical genealogy traces back to Leonhard Euler apparently! I’m a vegetarian and a teetotaller, for unrelated reasons. I don’t like cricket. I was born in 1978, grew up in London and am currently based in Leeds in the UK, where I live with my wonderful wife Haruka.
If there’s anything else you’re dying to know, you can leave a comment on my blog, Encircle me on Google+, Tweet me @RichardElwes, or email me at r [DOT] elwes [AT] gmail [DOT] com