David Trotman
Encyclopedia
David John Angelo Trotman is a mathematician
, with dual British
and French
nationality. He was born on September 27, 1951 in Plymouth
, Devon
, England
, a grandson of the poet and author Oliver W F Lodge
and a great-grandson of the physicist Sir Oliver Lodge. He is a leading expert in an area of singularity theory
known as the theory of stratifications, and particularly on properties of stratifications satisfying the Whitney conditions
and other similar conditions (due to René Thom
, Tzee-Char Kuo, Jean-Louis Verdier
, Trotman himself, and Karim Bekka for example) important for understanding topological stability.
At the age of 16, with Philip Crabtree, he was awarded the Explorer Belt
in Izmir
, Turkey
. They were placed second of the seven winning pairs, out of 41 competing teams who walked 150 miles from near Balikesir
to the coast west of Izmir, via Soma
and Bergama
, in August 1968, undertaking a dozen set projects as they went.
From 1958 to 1962 Trotman attended Gig Mill School, Stourbridge, Worcestershire, where he was in the same class as Kay Partridge, now Dame Kay Davies
. He was educated at King Edward's School in Stourbridge, before entering St. John's College, Cambridge in 1969, where he won the John Couch Adams
Essay Prize in 1971 for an essay on plane algebraic curves. He carried out doctoral work at the University of Warwick
, and the University of Paris-Sud, Orsay
. His thesis, entitled Whitney Stratifications : Faults and Detectors, was directed by Christopher Zeeman while at Warwick
, and Bernard Teissier and René Thom
while at Orsay, although Terry Wall and Robert MacPherson were major influences.
After positions at the Paris-Sud and the University of Angers
, since 1988 Trotman has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of Provence
in Marseilles, France. He has held visiting positions at Aarhus University, the University of Pisa
, Cornell University
, the University of Hawaii
, the Isaac Newton Institute
, Cambridge
, England, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, USA, and the Fields Institute
in Toronto, Canada.
Trotman has directed nine PhD theses. Among his research students are Patrice Orro, Karim Bekka, Stéphane Simon,Claudio Murolo, Georges Comte and Guillaume Valette.
His Erdős
number is 4.
Trotman was Head of the Topology
Group of the CNRS laboratory of Analysis, Topology and Probability from 1989 to 2004, Director of the Graduate School in Mathematics and Computing of Marseilles from 1996 to 2004, and was an elected member of the CNU (the French National University Council) from 1999 until 2007.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, with dual British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
nationality. He was born on September 27, 1951 in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a grandson of the poet and author Oliver W F Lodge
Oliver W F Lodge
Oliver William Foster Lodge , was a poet and author; he was the eldest son of Sir Oliver Lodge , the physicist, and his wife Mary , who had studied painting at the Slade...
and a great-grandson of the physicist Sir Oliver Lodge. He is a leading expert in an area of singularity theory
Singularity theory
-The notion of singularity:In mathematics, singularity theory is the study of the failure of manifold structure. A loop of string can serve as an example of a one-dimensional manifold, if one neglects its width. What is meant by a singularity can be seen by dropping it on the floor...
known as the theory of stratifications, and particularly on properties of stratifications satisfying the Whitney conditions
Whitney conditions
In differential topology, a branch of mathematics, the Whitney conditions are conditions on a pair of submanifolds of a manifold introduced by Hassler Whitney in 1965...
and other similar conditions (due to René Thom
René Thom
René Frédéric Thom was a French mathematician. He made his reputation as a topologist, moving on to aspects of what would be called singularity theory; he became world-famous among the wider academic community and the educated general public for one aspect of this latter interest, his work as...
, Tzee-Char Kuo, Jean-Louis Verdier
Jean-Louis Verdier
Jean-Louis Verdier was a French mathematician who worked, under the guidance of Alexander Grothendieck, on derived categories and Verdier duality...
, Trotman himself, and Karim Bekka for example) important for understanding topological stability.
At the age of 16, with Philip Crabtree, he was awarded the Explorer Belt
Explorer Belt
The Explorer Belt is an award in many Scouting organisations which promotes adventure and self-reliance in an international context.While specific rules on the award vary from one organisation to another, it is generally for older members of the Scout Movement and requires a group of Scouts to...
in Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. They were placed second of the seven winning pairs, out of 41 competing teams who walked 150 miles from near Balikesir
Balikesir
Balıkesir is the capital city of Balıkesir Province. Balıkesir is in the Marmara region of Turkey and has a population of 265,747 inhabitants. Old name is Karesi or Karasi.- History :...
to the coast west of Izmir, via Soma
Soma
Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the subsequent Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, whose Soma Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing qualities...
and Bergama
Bergama
Bergama is a populous district, as well as the center city of the same district, in İzmir Province in western Turkey. By excluding İzmir's metropolitan area, it is one of the prominent districts of the province in terms of population and is largely urbanized at the rate of 53,6 per cent...
, in August 1968, undertaking a dozen set projects as they went.
From 1958 to 1962 Trotman attended Gig Mill School, Stourbridge, Worcestershire, where he was in the same class as Kay Partridge, now Dame Kay Davies
Kay Davies
Dame Kay Elizabeth Davies, DBE, FRS is a British human geneticist.She is the Dr Lee's Professor of Anatomy at Oxford University and a fellow of Hertford College...
. He was educated at King Edward's School in Stourbridge, before entering St. John's College, Cambridge in 1969, where he won the John Couch Adams
John Couch Adams
John Couch Adams was a British mathematician and astronomer. Adams was born in Laneast, near Launceston, Cornwall, and died in Cambridge. The Cornish name Couch is pronounced "cooch"....
Essay Prize in 1971 for an essay on plane algebraic curves. He carried out doctoral work at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, and the University of Paris-Sud, Orsay
Paris-Sud 11 University
University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris XI is a French university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburb of Paris...
. His thesis, entitled Whitney Stratifications : Faults and Detectors, was directed by Christopher Zeeman while at Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, and Bernard Teissier and René Thom
René Thom
René Frédéric Thom was a French mathematician. He made his reputation as a topologist, moving on to aspects of what would be called singularity theory; he became world-famous among the wider academic community and the educated general public for one aspect of this latter interest, his work as...
while at Orsay, although Terry Wall and Robert MacPherson were major influences.
After positions at the Paris-Sud and the University of Angers
University of Angers
The University of Angers is an institution of higher learning situated in the town of the same name, in western France. It was founded in 1356, closed down in 1793, and reestablished in 1971....
, since 1988 Trotman has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of Provence
University of Provence
The University of Provence Aix-Marseille I is a public university mostly located in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. It is one of the three Universities of Aix-Marseille and is part of the Academy of Aix and Marseille.-Overview:...
in Marseilles, France. He has held visiting positions at Aarhus University, the University of Pisa
University of Pisa
The University of Pisa , located in Pisa, Tuscany, is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, although there had been lectures on law in Pisa since the 11th century...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, the Isaac Newton Institute
Isaac Newton Institute
The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an international research institute for mathematics and theoretical physics. Part of the University of Cambridge, it is named after one of the university's most illustrious figures, the mathematician and natural philosopher Sir Isaac Newton....
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, England, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, USA, and the Fields Institute
Fields Institute
The Fields Institute is an international centre for research in mathematical sciences at the University of Toronto. The institute is named for University of Toronto mathematician John Charles Fields, founder of the Fields Medal...
in Toronto, Canada.
Trotman has directed nine PhD theses. Among his research students are Patrice Orro, Karim Bekka, Stéphane Simon,Claudio Murolo, Georges Comte and Guillaume Valette.
His Erdős
Erdos
Erdős may refer to:* Erdős, the Hungarian name of the Lesnica, Stará Ľubovňa- Family names :* Richard Erdoes , a Hungarian-Austrian/US artist, see Lakota Woman * Paul Erdős , a Hungarian mathematician...
number is 4.
Trotman was Head of the Topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
Group of the CNRS laboratory of Analysis, Topology and Probability from 1989 to 2004, Director of the Graduate School in Mathematics and Computing of Marseilles from 1996 to 2004, and was an elected member of the CNU (the French National University Council) from 1999 until 2007.