 Marcus du Sautoy |
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Marcus du Sautoy: Decipher Intelligence & Creativity
Marcus du Sautoy is the Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the Oxford University, a chair he holds jointly at the Department of Continuing Education and the Mathematical Institute. He is also a Professor of Mathematics and a Fellow of New College. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016. In 2001 he won the prestigious Berwick Prize of the London Mathematical Society awarded every two years to reward the best mathematical research made by a mathematician under 40. In 2004 Esquire Magazine chose him as one of the 100 most influential people under 40 in Britain and in 2008 he was included in the prestigious directory Who’s Who.
For those who are not familiar with you, please let us know more about who you are. Why did you decide to pursue your career as an academician?
I have always been excited by the idea that I might be able to uncover some eternal truth about the universe. Mathematics is the language of the universe so for me this was the subject that I was drawn to. I love the idea that once I’ve proved a new mathematical theorem that it is there forever. My greatest discovery has been a new symmetrical object that lives in high dimensional space. How amazing to know that I am the first ever to play with this new object.
What does motivate you to research, learn, and explore “knowledge” and share it with others?
There are two parts of being a scientist for me: discovery and communication. I love the moment of discovery, of feeling like you are shining a light on a new bit of knowledge about the universe. But the next stage is sharing that discovery with others. A new discovery only starts to breath and come alive when you can bring it to life in the minds of others. For me that desire to communicate goes beyond just my scientific colleagues. I want the whole world to know about it.