User:Declan Davis
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[edit] Personal Information
I'm a 28 year old British mathematician, I was born in May 1981 in Farnworth, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. I am quite possibly the tallest person I know at 6' 7" (201cm), and probably the tallest mathematician in the UK.
[edit] Professional Career
I work in differential geometry and singularity theory, and in particular the application of singularity theory to affine differential geometry. I work mainly in the study of the generic affine differential geometry of smoothly embedded hypersurfaces from the point of view of connexions. All of my work is done over the real numbers.
I completed my PhD at the University of Liverpool (England), in the spring of 2008. The Univeristy of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group, and founded in 1881 it is also one of the six original 'Red Brick' civic universities. My PhD thesis was entitled Affine Differential Geometry and Singularity Theory. A PDF version can be found HERE. My PhD supervisors were Prof. Peter J Giblin (singularity theory and differential geometry) and Prof. Hugh R. Morton (knot theory and low dimensional topology).
I have three published articles:
- Generic Affine Differential Geometry of Curves in Rn, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2005. A PDF version can be found HERE.
- Affine Normal Curvature from the Point of View of Singularity Theory, Geometriae Dedicata, Vol 139, Num 1, January 2009. A PDF version can be found HERE
- Singularities of the Relative Distance and Height Functions in Rn+1, and the Interaction of Some Affinly Inavriant Curves on Surfaces in R3, Glasgow Mathematical Journal, accepted and to appear in 2009.
I have spent prolonged periods (i.e. at least one month) as an invited visitor at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, USA 
2006), the University of Hokkaido (Sapporo, Japan 
2007), the University of Valencia (Valencia, Spain 
2008), and the University of São Paulo (São Carlos, Brazil 
2008).
I have visited and attended conferences at the Centre International de Recontres Mathématiques (Marseille, France 
2005), Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid, Spain 2006), the Banach Center (Warsaw, Poland 
2006), the Steklov Institute (Moscow, Russia 
2007), the University of Swansea (Swansea, Wales 
2007), and the University of York (York, England 
2008).
[edit] Hobbies and Interests
I have played snooker for many years and still continue to play regularly (my highest break is currently 44). I practise aikido with Manchester and District Aikikai, and currently hold the rank of fourth kyu. I have been learning Spanish for three years, and have had the opportunity to practise with many native speakers, both in Europe and South America. I have a three year old English springer spaniel called Buster. Besides mathematics I like to read books on organic chemistry. I am particularly interested in the alkaloid and monoamine family of phenylethylamines.
[edit] Some Random Quotes
- Lo que en libros no está, la vida te enseñerá.
- Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is actually a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad.
- One is all for religion, until one visits a very religious country. Then, one is all for machinery, drains and a minimum wage.
- At a time when so many scholars in the world are calculating, is it not desirable that some, who can, dream?
- If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern.
- The problem with the rat race is that even if you win you're still a rat.
- Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.
