View source for Marcus du Sautoy

{{Short description|British mathematician (born 1965)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Marcus du Sautoy
| honorific_suffix  = {{postnominals|country=GBR|OBE|FRS|size=100%}}
| image             = Professor Marcus du Sautoy OBE FRS (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Du Sautoy in 2016
| birth_name        = Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1965|08|26}}<ref name=whoswho>{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title=du Sautoy, Prof. Marcus Peter Francis | id = U245193 | year = 2017 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.245193 | edition = online [[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/nationaltreasures/2194281/Prof-Marcus-du-Sautoy-portrait.html | title = Prof Marcus du Sautoy portrait | date = 27 June 2008 | access-date = 10 May 2009 | location=London, UK}}</ref>
| birth_place       = [[London, England]]
| death_date        =
| death_place       =
| residence         =
| citizenship       = British
| fields            = [[Mathematics]]<br />[[Symmetry]]<br />[[Group theory]]<br />[[Number theory]]<br />[[Public engagement]]<ref name="Royal Society" />
| workplaces        = [[All Souls College, Oxford]]<br />[[Wadham College, Oxford]]<br />[[New College, Oxford]]<br />[[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]
| education        = [[Henley College (Henley-on-Thames)|King James's Sixth Form College]]<ref name=whoswho /><br />[[Gillotts School|Gillots Comprehensive School]]<ref name=whoswho />
| alma_mater        = [[University of Oxford]] (BA, DPhil)<!--Wadham College, Oxford does not award degrees-->
| doctoral_advisor  = [[Dan Segal]]<ref name=dphil /><ref name=mathgene>{{MathGenealogy}}</ref>
| doctoral_students =
| known_for         = ''[[The Music of the Primes]]''
| website = {{Official URL}}
| awards            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Berwick Prize]] (2001)
* [[Royal Society University Research Fellowship]]{{when|date=December 2017}}
* [[Royal Institution Christmas Lectures|Christmas lectures]] (2006)
* [[Michael Faraday Prize]] (2009)}}
| thesis_title      = Discrete Groups, Analytic Groups and Poincaré Series
| thesis_year       = 1989
| thesis_url        = http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCOP_OX:oxfaleph015161621
| spouse            = {{marriage|Shani Ram|1994}}<ref name="whoswho" />
| module            = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Marcus du Sautoy BBC Radio4 In Our Time 13 Jan 2011 b00x9xjb.flac|title={{center|Marcus du Sautoy's voice}}|type=speech|description={{center|[[:File:Marcus du Sautoy BBC Radio4 In Our Time 13 Jan 2011 b00x9xjb.flac|Recorded January 2011]] from the BBC Radio 4 programme ''[[In Our Time (BBC Radio 4)|In Our Time]]''}}}}
}}

'''Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy''' ({{IPAc-en|d|ᵿ|_|ˈ|s|oʊ|t|ɔɪ}};<ref>Miller, G. M., ed. (1971) ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names''. London: Oxford University Press; p. Du</ref> born 26 August 1965)<ref name=whoswho /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/nov/02/maths-sautoy-dawkins-oxford-science | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=A mathematician who's in his prime | first=Robin | last=McKie | date=2 November 2008 | access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> is a British mathematician, [[Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science]] at the [[University of Oxford]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/081028.html|title=New Simonyi Chair appointed|date=28 October 2008|publisher=[[University of Oxford]]|access-date=29 October 2008|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910092938/http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/081028.html|archive-date=10 September 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.simonyi.ox.ac.uk/about-marcus/|title=About Marcus|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171102005735/https://www.simonyi.ox.ac.uk/about-marcus/|url-status=live|archive-date=2 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Fellow]] of [[New College, Oxford]]<ref name=newcol>{{cite web|title=Marcus du Sautoy, OBE|url=http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/marcus-du-sautoy-obe|publisher=[[New College, Oxford]]|access-date=16 April 2016}}</ref> and author of [[popular mathematics]] and [[popular science]] books.<ref name=amazon>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marcus-Du-Sautoy/e/B001JOS6XY|website=amazon.co.uk|title=Marcus Du Sautoy books on Amazon}}</ref> He was previously{{when|date=January 2022}} a fellow of [[All Souls College, Oxford]], [[Wadham College, Oxford]] and served as president of the [[Mathematical Association]], an [[Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council]] (EPSRC) senior media fellow,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gtr.ukri.org/person/562718AE-8FD0-4CE0-8866-1EC5A42007DC|website=ukri.org|publisher=[[UK Research and Innovation]]|title=UK government grants awarded to Marcus du Sautoy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://epsrc.ukri.org/newsevents/casestudies/marcusdusautoy/|website=ukri.org|publisher=[[UK Research and Innovation]]|title=Marcus du Sautoy – Cutting an impressive figure|date=16 January 2024 }}</ref> and a [[Royal Society University Research Fellow]].<ref name=off>Marcus du Sautoy {{Official website}}</ref>

In 1996, he was awarded the [[titles of distinction awarded by the University of Oxford|title of distinction]] of Professor of Mathematics.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

== Education and early life ==
Du Sautoy was born in London to Bernard du Sautoy, employed in the computer industry, and Jennifer ({{nee}} Deason) du Sautoy, who left the [[Foreign Office]] to raise her children.<ref name="whoswho" /><ref name=familyvalues /> He grew up in [[Henley-on-Thames]]. His grandfather, [[Peter du Sautoy]], was chairman of the publisher [[Faber and Faber]], and managed the estates of [[James Joyce]] and [[Samuel Beckett]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituarypeter-du-sautoy-1592147.html|title=OBITUARY:Peter du Sautoy|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=23 October 2011}}</ref><ref name=familyvalues /><ref>{{Cite ODNB|doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/59125|year = 2004|title=Du Sautoy, Peter Francis (1912–1995)}}</ref> 

Du Sautoy was educated at [[Gillotts School|Gillotts Comprehensive School]]<ref name="whoswho" /> and [[Henley College (Henley-on-Thames)|King James's Sixth Form College (now Henley College)]] and [[Wadham College, Oxford]], where he was awarded a [[first class honours]] degree in [[mathematics]]. In 1991 he completed a [[Doctor of Philosophy|doctorate]] in mathematics on [[discrete group]]s, [[analytic group]]s and [[Poincaré series (modular form)|Poincaré series]], supervised by [[Dan Segal]].<ref name=dphil>{{cite thesis|degree=DPhil|publisher=University of Oxford|title=Discrete groups, analytic groups and Poincaré series|first= Marcus Peter Francis|last=Du Sautoy|date=1989|
url=http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCOP_OX:oxfaleph015161621|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.236109}}|website=bodleian.ox.ac.uk|oclc=48598310}}</ref>

== Career and research ==
[[File:Sautoy2 cropped.JPG|thumb|right|Marcus du Sautoy in 2007]]
Du Sautoy's research "uses classical tools from number theory to explore the mathematics of symmetry".<ref name="Royal Society" /> Du Sautoy's academic work concerns mainly [[group theory]] and [[number theory]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Sautoy | first1 = M. | doi = 10.1007/BF02698914 | title =Counting {{mvar|p}}-groups and nilpotent groups | journal = Publications Mathématiques de l'Institut des Hautes Scientifiques | volume = 92 | pages = 63–112| year = 2000 | issue=1| s2cid = 53584050 | url = http://www.numdam.org/item/PMIHES_2000__92__63_0/ }}</ref>

Du Sautoy is known for his work [[popular mathematics|popularising mathematics]], and has been named by ''[[The Independent on Sunday]]'' as one of the UK's leading scientists. He has also served on the advisory board of
[https://www.mangahigh.com Mangahigh.com], an online maths game website. He is a regular contributor to the BBC Radio 4's ''[[In Our Time (BBC Radio 4)|In Our Time]]'' programme and has written for ''[[The Times]]'' and ''[[The Guardian]]''. He has written numerous academic articles and books on mathematics, the most recent being an exploration of the current state of creativity in artificial intelligence, ''The Creativity Code''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/12/the-creativity-code-marcus-du-sautoy-review
  |title=The Creativity Code by Marcus du Sautoy – review
  |last=Wolf
  |first=Jonnie
  |date=12 March 2019
  |work=The Guardian
  |access-date=1 September 2019
  }}</ref>

He is co-director of PRiSM, the [https://www.rncm.ac.uk/research/research-activity/research-centres-rncm/prism/ Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music] at the [[Royal Northern College of Music]], which he co-founded with composer [[Emily Howard]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The PRiSM Team - Royal Northern College of Music |url=https://www.rncm.ac.uk/research/research-activity/research-centres-rncm/prism/prism-team/prism-team/ |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=RNCM |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In a 2006 article published in ''[[Seed (magazine)|Seed]]'' magazine, du Sautoy discussed the [[Hilbert-Pólya conjecture#Possible connection with quantum mechanics|Hilbert-Pólya conjecture]], a way for advances in quantum physics to provide insight into the [[Riemann hypothesis]].<ref>{{cite magazine
  |title=Prime Numbers Get Hitched
  |last=du Sautoy
  |first=Marcus
  |date=27 March 2006
  |publisher=Seed
  | magazine    = Seed.com
}}</ref><ref name="Thomas 2013 Prime Numbers to Nuclear Physics">{{cite web | last=Thomas | first=Kelly Devine | title=From Prime Numbers to Nuclear Physics and Beyond | website=Institute for Advanced Study | date=2013-05-02 | url=https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2013/primes-random-matrices | access-date=2024-01-25}}</ref>

=== Books ===
His [[popular mathematics]] and [[popular science]] books include:
* ''[[The Music of the Primes]]''<ref>The Music of the Primes Fourth Estate, 2003; {{ISBN|9780062064011}}</ref>
* ''Finding Moonshine''<ref>Finding Moonshine UK title, Fourth Estate, 2007; {{ISBN|9780007380879}}</ref>
* ''Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature''<ref>Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature US title, 2008; {{ISBN|9780060789411}}</ref>
* ''The Num8er My5teries: A Mathematical Odyssey Through Everyday Life''<ref>The Num8er My5teries Fourth Estate, 2010; {{ISBN|9780007362561}}</ref>
* ''[[What We Cannot Know]]''<ref>What We Cannot Know Fourth Estate, 2016; {{ISBN|9780007576593}}</ref>
* ''The Great Unknown: Seven Journeys to the Frontiers of Science'' <ref>The Great Unknown: Seven Journeys to the Frontiers of Science Viking, 2017; {{ISBN|9780007576579}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Review of ''The Great Unknown''|website=Kirkus Reviews|date=22 February 2017|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marcus-du-sautoy/great-unknown/}}</ref>
* ''The Creativity Code: How AI Is Learning to Write, Paint and Think'' <ref>The Creativity Code: How AI Is Learning to Write, Paint and Think Harper Colin Publishers Australia, 2019; {{ISBN|9780008296346}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Olszewski, Peter|title=Review of ''The Creativity Code''|date=October 20, 2019|website=MAA Reviews, Mathematical Association of America|url=https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/the-creativity-code}}</ref>
* ''Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut''<ref>Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut HarperCollins UK, 2021; {{ISBN|9780008393939}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://freakonomics.com/podcast/whats-wrong-with-shortcuts/|publisher=[[Freakonomics Radio]]|website=freakonomics.com|title=EPISODE 483: What's Wrong With Shortcuts?|first=Stephen |last=Dubner|year=2021|quote=being aware of what your thought process is, is already enough to short-circuit the algorithm which was always sending you into depression. You're sort of stuck inside the system of the way you’re thinking}}</ref>
* ''Around the World in 80 Games: A mathematician unlocks the secrets of the greatest games''<ref>Around the World in 80 Games: A mathematician unlocks the secrets of the greatest games HarperCollins UK, 2023; {{ISBN|978-0008525910}}</ref>
* ''Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity''<ref>Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity Fourth Estate, 2025; {{ISBN|978-0008684990}}</ref>

=== Television ===
Among many other programmes,<ref name=imdb>{{IMDb name|nm1798854}}</ref> Du Sautoy presented the [[BBC Four]] television programme ''Mind Games'' and co-hosted the TV series ''[[School of Hard Sums]]'' with [[Dara Ó Briain]]. On the latter show, he posed mathematical questions with real-world applications. Ó&nbsp;Briain and a guest then tried to solve the problems, using rigorous and experimental methods, respectively.

In December 2006, du Sautoy delivered the 2006 [[Royal Institution Christmas Lectures]] under the collective title ''The Num8er My5teries''.<ref name="Christmas Lectures" /> This was only the third time the subject of the lectures had been mathematics – on the first occasion, in 1978, when the lecture was delivered by [[Erik Christopher Zeeman]], du Sautoy had been a schoolboy in the audience. Other television work includes:{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
* ''Mindgames'' (BBC Four, 2004–5). Presented 20 episodes of puzzle gameshow with regular guests [[Kathy Sykes]] and [[Michael Rosen]].
* ''The Music of the Primes'' (BBC Four, 2005, BBC 2 2007). One-hour documentary based on his book.
* ''Painting with Numbers'' (Teachers TV 2006). Four fifteen-minute programmes covering numerous topics from risk and probability to concepts of infinity, from codes and cryptography to flowers and football.
* ''The Num8er My5teries: [[Royal Institution]] Christmas Lectures'' (Channel 5, 2006),<ref name="Christmas Lectures">{{cite web
|url=https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/2006/the-num8er-my5teries
  |title=The Num8er My5teries
  |website=rigb.org
  |date=December 2006
 |publisher=[[Royal Institution]]
  |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> five lectures about the great unsolved problems of mathematics.
* ''[[The Story of Maths]]'' (BBC Four, 2008)<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/maths-and-me-the-presenters-story
  |title=Maths and me: The presenter's story
  |publisher=[[OpenLearn]]
  |date= 8 April 2008
  |access-date=12 March 2014}}</ref> is a four-part series first broadcast on [[BBC Four]]. In this series he discovers techniques and theories from different times and cultures.
* ''[[Horizon (BBC TV series)|Horizon]]: Alan and Marcus Go Forth and Multiply'' ([[BBC 2]], 2009). [[Alan Davies]] embarks on a maths odyssey with the help of mathematician Marcus du Sautoy.
* ''Horizon: The Secret You'' (BBC 2, 2009). Marcus du Sautoy investigates self-awareness.
* ''Horizon: How Long is a Piece of String?'' (BBC 2, 2009). Alan Davies attempts to answer the proverbial question: How long is a piece of string? Featuring Marcus du Sautoy.
* ''Horizon: What Makes a Genius?'' (BBC 2, 2010). Marcus du Sautoy asks if geniuses' brains are fundamentally different from his.
* ''The Beauty of Diagrams'' (BBC Four, 2010). Produced by Michael Waterhouse and directed by Steven Clarke, Marcus du Sautoy discusses influential scientific diagrams, starting with Vitruvian Man, [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s iconic anatomical drawing which follows the geometrical ideas of the Roman architect [[Vitruvius]].
* ''[[The Code (2011 TV series)|The Code]]'' (BBC 2, 2011). A three-part documentary series which began broadcasting on 27 July 2011.
* ''Faster Than the Speed of Light?'' (BBC 2, 2011). Marcus du Sautoy discusses a recent discovery, the [[faster-than-light neutrino anomaly]], that neutrinos may travel faster than light. First broadcast on 19 October 2011.
* ''[[Horizon (BBC TV series)|Horizon]]: The Hunt for AI'' ([[BBC 2]], 2012). Marcus Du Sautoy asks how close mankind is to creating computers or robots that can think for themselves – artificial intelligence, AI. First broadcast on 3 April 2012.
* ''[[Dara Ó Briain: School of Hard Sums|Dara Ó Briain's School of Hard Sums]]'' ([[Dave (TV channel)|Dave]], 2012). Co-host with [[Dara Ó Briain]]. Dara and guests attempt to solve problems posed by Marcus Du Sautoy with mathematics or through trial and error. First broadcast on 16 April 2012.
* ''[[Precision: The Measure of All Things]]'' ([[BBC Four]], 2013). Professor Marcus du Sautoy explores why we are driven to measure and quantify the world around us and why we have reduced the universe to just a handful of fundamental units of measurement. First broadcast on 10 June 2013.
* ''The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms'' ([[BBC Four]], 2015). Mathematician Professor Marcus du Sautoy demystifies the hidden world of algorithms. First broadcast on 24 September 2015.

=== Awards and honours ===
Du Sautoy was awarded the [[Berwick Prize]] in 2001 by the [[London Mathematical Society]] for the publication of outstanding mathematical research. In 2009 he won the [[Michael Faraday Prize]] from the [[Royal Society of London]] for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences".<ref name="Royal Society">{{cite web | title=Marcus Du Sautoy | website=Royal Society | url=https://royalsociety.org/people/marcus-du-sautoy-12861/ | access-date=2024-01-25}}</ref> Du Sautoy was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2010 New Year Honours]] "for services to Science".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59282 |date=31 December 2009 |page=9 |supp=y}}</ref> He was elected a fellow of the [[American Mathematical Society]] in 2012<ref>[https://www.ams.org/profession/fellows-list List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society]. Retrieved 10 November 2012.</ref> and a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] (FRS) in 2016.<ref name="Royal Society"/>

== Personal life ==
Du Sautoy lives in London with his family and plays [[Association football|football]] (No 17 for Recreativo [[Hackney, London|Hackney]] FC) and the trumpet.<ref name="whoswho" /> He met his wife Shani while a [[postdoctoral researcher]] at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].<ref name="whoswho" /> They have three children, who are being raised [[Jewish]].<ref name=familyvalues /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/how-jewish-is-marcus-du-sautoy-1.6087?highlight=How+Jewish+is+Marcus+du+Sautoy|title=How Jewish is Marcus Du Sautoy?|date= 2008|website=thejc.com|publisher=[[The Jewish Chronicle]]|access-date=31 October 2017|author=Anon}}</ref>

Du Sautoy is an [[atheist]] but has stated that as holder of the [[Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science|Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science]] his focus is going to be "very much on the science and less on religion", perhaps suggesting a difference of emphasis compared with his predecessor in the post, [[Richard Dawkins]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/audio/2008/oct/28/marcus-du-sautoy-richard-dawkins|title=Science Extra: Marcus du Sautoy steps into Dawkins' boots|date=28 October 2008|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=29 October 2008|location=London|first=Alok|last=Jha}}</ref> He has described his own religion as being "[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal – football]]", as he sees religion as wanting to belong to a community.<ref>{{cite interview|last=du Sautoy|first=Marcus|title=Desert Island Discs: Marcus du Sautoy|interviewer=[[Kirsty Young]]|date=12 December 2008|work=[[BBC Radio 4]] |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00frmml|access-date=31 October 2017|at=Quote comes from minute 31:08}}</ref>
Du Sautoy is a supporter of [[Common Hope]], an organisation that helps people in [[Guatemala]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=How to sell science to the Big Brother generation: Interview with Marcus du Sautoy|publisher=[[New Scientist]]|website=newscientist.com|date=2008|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026842.000-how-to-sell-science-to-the-big-brother-generation.html?full=true|first=Paul|last=Parsons|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413052340/https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026842-000-how-to-sell-science-to-the-big-brother-generation/|archivedate=2016-04-13}}</ref>

He is the grandson of [[Peter du Sautoy]] and his [[Godparent|godmother]] was [[Valerie Eliot]], the wife and widow of [[T. S. Eliot|T.S Eliot]].<ref name=familyvalues>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/12/my-family-values-marcus-du-sautoy|website=[[The Guardian]]|first=Juliet|last=Dix|year=2009|title=My family values: Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician|location=London}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|35em}}
{{CC-notice|cc=by4|url= https://royalsociety.org/people/marcus-du-sautoy-12861/}}

==External links==
* {{commonscat-inline}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}

{{Authority control}}
{{FRS 2016}}
{{Portal bar|Mathematics|United Kingdom|Biography}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Sautoy, Marcus}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Henley-on-Thames]]
[[Category:Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford]]
[[Category:20th-century British mathematicians]]
[[Category:21st-century British mathematicians]]
[[Category:English atheists]]
[[Category:Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Mathematical Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of New College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Fellows of Wadham College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Group theorists]]
[[Category:British number theorists]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Simonyi Professors for the Public Understanding of Science]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Mathematics popularizers]]
[[Category:People educated at Gillotts School]]