UBC Prof Ranks among Darwin, Einstein

   

Sienne Lam, The Ubyseey (University of British Columbia)

 

 

VANCOUVER (CUP)—University of British Columbia
math professor Martin Barlow joins the echelon of his

great, great erandfather Charles Darwin and other
prominent scientists like Albert Einstein and Isaac
Newton in his recent election to the Royal Society of
London.

“The very first time 1 worked with [Barlow], it was

very clear that he’s an extremely gifted scientist...it’s

 

clear that he’s on his way to great things,” said Ed
Perkins, UBC Mathematics Professor, of his colleague
and long-time friend.

According to Barlow, what really triggered his inter-
est in studying random walks in irregular spaces was the
first paper he wrote with Ed Perkins, which became one
of the founding papers in the whole field. After 20
years of research in this area, Barlow has replaced pre-

vious theoretical models on diffusions on fractals with a
more accurate one. He pioneered mathematical tools to
analyze the flow and transport of heat waves and liq-
uids over irregular objects.

Barlow’s breakthrough theory made him one of the
44 new people the Royal Society of London admits
each year. The Society was founded in 1660, making it
one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific acade-
mies in the world. With a membership of 1,300, includ-
ing 20 Nobel Prize winners, the Society recruits the
finest scientists, engineers, and technologists in the
United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and
Ireland.

“T was of course very pleased when I heard about
my election to the Royal Society. I would say that mainly
this pleasure was personal, but having a famous ances-
tor who also was a fellow of the Royal Society was a
bonus,” said Barlow.

Barlow’s entrance into the Society is one of
immense honour as very few academics from Canadian
universities are admitted. Perkins said he is sure that
Barlow’s election will help elevate the prestige of the
University of British Columbia. Postgraduates wanting
to further their studies in the area of probability theory
and mathematics will be drawn to UBC upon observing
the notable résumés of faculty staff.

Barlow explained that his future plans are centred
around his professional goals—to continue his research
in mathematics. He said he would also like to see the
Canadian presence in the Royal Society increase, but he
recognizes that it is a more important goal for
Canadians to build up the strength and reputation of
the Royal Society of Canada.

“Sadly, while the Royal Society [of London] receives
substantial support from the British government for its
work in science education and policy advice, the Royal
Society of Canada currently receives no support from
the government of Canada,” said Barlow.

Professor Barlow is currently in Kyoto furthering his
research with Japanese mathematicians. He is also doing
a series of lectures at the Kyoto University and the
Rims Research Institute of Mathematics in Japan.

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