George A. Willis Explained

George A. Willis
Birth Place:Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Birth Date:1954 11, df=y
Discipline:Mathematics
Workplaces:University of Newcastle (Australia)
Alma Mater:University of Newcastle upon Tyne

George A. Willis FAA (born 10 November 1954, Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian mathematician. Willis received BSc (1976) and BSc (Hons) degrees in mathematics from the University of Adelaide (1977), and a doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1981) under the supervision of Professor B. E. Johnson.[1] [2] He is currently Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Newcastle (Australia).[1] He is best known for his works in group theory, particularly totally disconnected groups.

Career

Willis' career has been largely spent in regional Australia at the University of Newcastle (Australia). He was appointed full Professor as well as ARC Professorial Fellow in 2009, and ARC Laureate Fellow in 2018.[1]

After the conferral of his doctorate degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1981, he returned to Australia and took up a position as the Rothman's Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of New South Wales. From 1983 to 1985 he worked at the University of Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the Killam Postdoctoral Fellow, and then returned again to Australia as a Queen Elizabeth II Fellow at the University of Adelaide, before beginning a lectureship at Flinders University of South Australia in 1987. Willis then moved to the Australian National University as a research fellow in 1989, before finally moving to the University of Newcastle (Australia) to take up a lectureship where he is now Emeritus Professor.

During his career he has published widely and has advised 14 PhD students (as of April 2023).[1]

He was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Australian Mathematical Society (Cambridge University Press) from 2012-2019.

Research

Willis' first research paper was published in 1982 based on his research for his doctoral thesis. Willis' early research was centered around functional analysis and harmonic analysis, before shifting into group theory, particularly totally disconnected locally compact (TDLC) groups and the interaction between algebra and topology. Major areas and results include:

Awards, honours, and memberships

Willis is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and a member of the Australian Mathematical Society, American Mathematical Society, and the London Mathematical Society.

Notable publications

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Staff Profile . University of Newcastle . Prof. George Willis . 16 January 2015 . 7 May 2023.
  2. Web site: George Alver Willis . Mathematics Genealogy Project . September 23, 2023.
  3. Book: Palmer . Theodore W. . Banach Algebras and the General Theory of *-Algebras . 1994 . Cambridge University Press . 9781107325777 . 7 May 2023.
  4. Web site: Oberwolfach . Mathematisches Forschung Institut . Arbeitsgemeinschaft: Totally Disconnected Groups . 7 May 2023.
  5. Web site: Australian Mathematical Society . Gavin Brown Prize Winners . Winning Paper 2016 . 7 May 2023.
  6. Web site: The University of Sydney . Mathematical Research Institute . International Congress of Mathematicians 2022 speakers announced . 17 September 2021 . 7 May 2023.
  7. Web site: Australian Research Council . Laureate Profile . Professor George Willis . 7 May 2023.
  8. Web site: Fellows . Australian Academy of Science . George Willis . 7 May 2023.