James D. Murray
Encyclopedia
James Dickson Murray FRS, (born Moffat
, Scotland
, 2 January 1931) is Professor Emeritus
of applied mathematics
at University of Washington
and University of Oxford
.
Educated at St. Andrews University where he received with honours a Bachelor Degree in
Mathematics in 1953, he took his PhD there in 1956. His first post was at the University of Durham
, UK, later he has held positions at Harvard University
, London and Oxford, becoming Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan
in 1965, at the age of 34.
He later became Professor of Mathematical Biology at the University of Oxford
, a fellow and tutor in mathematics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
and founder and Director of the Centre for Mathematical Biology. He left Oxford, in the late 1980s for the University of Washington
in Seattle, where he spent the rest of his career as Professor of Mathematics and Adjunct Professor of Zoology.
His research is characterised by its great range and depth: an early example is his fundamental contributions to understanding the biomechanics of the human body when launched from an aircraft in an ejection seat. He has made contributions to many other areas, ranging from understanding and preventing severe scarring; fingerprint formation; sex determination, modeling of animal coat and territory formation in wolf-deer interacting populations.
He is best known for his authoritative and extensive work entitled Mathematical Biology, recently re-edited.
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 2 January 1931) is Professor Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
at University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Educated at St. Andrews University where he received with honours a Bachelor Degree in
Mathematics in 1953, he took his PhD there in 1956. His first post was at the University of Durham
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, UK, later he has held positions at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, London and Oxford, becoming Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1965, at the age of 34.
He later became Professor of Mathematical Biology at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, a fellow and tutor in mathematics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
and founder and Director of the Centre for Mathematical Biology. He left Oxford, in the late 1980s for the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle, where he spent the rest of his career as Professor of Mathematics and Adjunct Professor of Zoology.
His research is characterised by its great range and depth: an early example is his fundamental contributions to understanding the biomechanics of the human body when launched from an aircraft in an ejection seat. He has made contributions to many other areas, ranging from understanding and preventing severe scarring; fingerprint formation; sex determination, modeling of animal coat and territory formation in wolf-deer interacting populations.
He is best known for his authoritative and extensive work entitled Mathematical Biology, recently re-edited.
Selected publications
- Mathematical Biology. 3rd edition in 2 volumes: Mathematical Biology: I. An Introduction (551 pages) 2002; Mathematical Biology: II. Spatial Models and Biomedical Applications (811 pages) 2003 (second printings 2004).
- On the mechanochemical theory of biological pattern formation with application to vasculogenesis. Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci. Paris (Biologies) 326: 239-252, 2003.
- On the use of quantitative modeling to help understand PSA dynamics and other medical problems (with K.R. Swanson and L.D. True). Amer. J. Clin. Pathol., 119(1):14-7, 2003
- Virtual and real brain tumors: using mathematical modeling to quantify glioma growth and invasion (with K.R. Swanson, C. Bridge, and E.C. Alvord), Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 216(1):1-10, 2003.
- Virtual brain tumors (gliomas) enhance the reality of medical imaging and highlight inadequacies of current therapy (with K.R. Swanson and E.C. Alvord). British J. Cancer 86: 14-18, 2002. [Abstracted for inclusion in the 2003 Yearbook of the Institute of Oncology]
- Pattern formation, biological. In: The Handbook of Brain Theory and Neural Networks (ed. M.A. Arbib) pp. 851–859, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2002.
- The Mathematics of Marriage: Dynamic Nonlinear Models (with J.M. Gottman, C. Swanson, R. Tyson, and K.R. Swanson). MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2002.
- A mathematical model for the dynamics of serum prostate specific antigen as a marker for cancerous growth (with K.R. Swanson, D. Lin, L. True, K. Buhler and R. Vassella). Amer. J. Pathol. 158(6): 2195-2199, 2001.