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University of Essex homepage Peter Higgins
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Professor Peter Higgins

Professor
School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science (SMSAS)
Professor Peter Higgins

  • Email

  • Telephone

    +44 (0) 1206 873019

  • Location

    3A.539, Colchester Campus

Biography

I was born in Australia in 1956 and together with my English wife, Theresa, our son and three daughters we have lived in Colchester since 1990. I was promoted to Professor in 2000 and was Head of the Dept of Mathematical Sciences from January 2005 until December 2010. I served as a Colchester Borough Councillor from 2002-16. My research is in algebraic semigroups which is the algebraic type that arises, quite literally, from the stringing together of words and the composition of functions. The former gives rise to connections with the theory of computing and automata while the latter leads to abstract algebra and sometimes to combinatorial problems, that is to say questions concerning counting and enumeration. Like most mathematicians, I try to maintain a wider interest in things mathematical. I have published over 60 research papers and nine books, the first of which was a specialist research monograph, 'Techniques of Semigroup Theory', which has 455 citations in the literature (Google Scholar). I have six popular science books with Oxford University Press. The first three were, 'Mathematics for the Curious', Mathematics for the Imagination', and 'Nets, Puzzles and Postmen, an exploration of mathematical connections', (in hardback and paperback). I was invited to write two volumes in the Very Short Introduction series, they being 'Numbers', and 'Algebra'. In 2017 OUP published 'Professor Higgins's Problem Book'. My work has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. With Copernicus Press I have the hardback, 'Number Story, from Counting to Cryptography' now translated into Korean. In 2005 I invented 'Circular Sudoku', which now appears in magazines, newspapers and books around the world and also as a handheld computer game and an iPod Ap. The 'Official Book of Circular Sudoku' was published in 2006 by Plume Press in the States and now has translations in Japanese and Russian. In 2011 I was invited to become a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (F.I.M.A.) In 2013 I was awarded the Premio Peano Prize for the best book on mathematics written in Italian for the translation of 'Nets, Puzzles and Postmen' entitled La matematica dei social network'. To keep up-to-date with my mathematical activities, see my Web page: http://www.professorpeterhiggins.com/ As of February 2019 I have 1414 citations in Google Scholar with a h-index of 18 and an i-10 index of 33. Four of my papers which have been cited over 50 times in the literature. Previous PhD students: 1999. Paula Catarino, (Lecturer University of Tras-os Montes, Portugal) - 'The monoid of orientation-preserving mappings on a chain', external examiner Prof. J.M. Howie (St. Andrews). 1999. Alexei Vernitski (from Ekaterinburg, Russia, Lecturer, DMS) - 'Classes of abstract semigroups closed under the formation of subsemigroups and finitary direct products', external examiner, Prof. J.M. Howie (St. Andrews). 2004 Chris Saker (Senior Lecturer, Essex), 'Unavoidable Sets and Aperiodic Unavoidable Sets', External Examiner, Dr Mark Lawson (Bangor) 2011, Imtiaz Ahmad, 'Bandwidth labellings of graphs and their associated semigroups', external examiner, Dr Robert Gray (Lisbon). 2014 Suhear Alwan 'Languages that require full scanning of words to determine membership' external examiner Prof Mark Lawson (Heriot-Watt) Research interests: Linked with the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering in previous REF cycle An editor of the international journal Communications in Algebra (1999 - 2004).

Qualifications

  • B.A. (ANU. Canberra, 1976), BSc (First Class, University of Tasmania, 1980), PhD, (Monash University, Melbourne, 1983).

  • Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, (2011 - )

Appointments

University of Essex

  • Head of Dept, Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex (1/1/2005 - 31/12/2010)

  • Senate member, Mathematics/Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex (1/9/1999 - 31/12/2010)

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  • +44 (0) 1206 873333
  • University of Essex
  • Wivenhoe Park
  • Colchester CO4 3SQ

 

 

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