Francis Brown has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). Francis works in algebraic geometry and mathematical physics. His research ranges from pure mathematics to methods for precision calculations in high-energy particle physics. He is also committed to supporting the mathematical sciences through fundraising and charitable work.
His contributions include resolving conjectures of Deligne on the Riemann sphere minus three points, Goncharov–Manin on moduli spaces of curves, and Hoffman on multiple zeta values, as well as decisive results on several problems of Kontsevich.
His work on the motivic Galois theory of periods and on modular and elliptic iterated integrals has transformed our understanding of amplitudes in quantum field theory and led to major advances in the computation of Feynman integrals, which underpin predictions at the Large Hadron Collider.
Francis is a Professor of Mathematics here in Oxford and has been a Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford since 2014, having previously worked at IHES in Paris and the CNRS from 2007.
Francis says of his election: "I am very grateful for this recognition of an area of research which has historically been under-represented in the UK, and for the encouragement it gives to strengthening links between mathematics and physics."
Oxford Mathematics now has 33 Fellows of the Royal Society among its current and retired members: Fernando Alday, John Ball, Bryan Birch, Emmanuel Breuillard, Martin Bridson, Philip Candelas, Marcus du Sautoy, Artur Ekert, Alison Etheridge, Mike Giles, Alain Goriely, Ben Green, Roger Heath-Brown, Nigel Hitchin, Ehud Hrushovski, Dominic Joyce, Jon Keating, Frances Kirwan, Terry Lyons, Philip Maini, James Maynard, Jim Murray, John Ockendon, Roger Penrose, Jonathan Pila, Graeme Segal, Endre Süli, Martin Taylor, Ulrike Tillmann, Nick Trefethen, Andrew Wiles, Alex Wilkie, and Francis himself, of course.
Photo credit: John Cairns