The Councils of the London Mathematical Society and Institute of Mathematics and its Applications are delighted to announce that the 2022 Christopher Zeeman Medal has been awarded to Simon Singh. The Christopher Zeeman Medal is the UK award dedicated to recognising excellence in the communication of mathematics. The following citation describes Simon’s exceptional work in this field.
Few people have inspired so many of the public to have a strong interest in mathematics in so many ways as Simon Singh.
Simon Singh made his first major contribution to public engagement in mathematics through his BAFTA award winning TV documentary programme on the resolution of Fermat’s last theorem by Andrew Wiles. This programme was a masterpiece of television, which by concentrating on the personalities involved brought the nature of actually doing mathematics to a much wider audience. Without doubt it is one of the best presentations not only of mathematics, but also of the process of doing maths, ever to be shown on television. This programme has now been viewed by countless millions of people, inspiring them to take up an interest in mathematics, and also showing them that mathematicians are real people!
Simon then wrote a book on the same topic, Fermat’s Last Theorem. This book also had a huge impact. Many university admissions tutors testify to the fact that many of the young people who have applied to their universities say that they had read the book and that it had been a big influence on their mathematical journey. Simon has since written a number of very influential books, including The Code Book, which with its associated website has been a source of great inspiration for countless mathematics students, and The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets, which combines humour with great mathematics. These books have formed the subjects of many inspiring talks which Simon gives to large audiences all over the world where he delivers a lot of maths in his presentations at an excellent level.
The other area where Simon has had a lot of impact has been in mathematics education, particularly via his Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme, which has become embedded in many university courses, encouraging undergraduates to work in schools and inspire the next generation of mathematicians. He has also promoted excellence in mathematics education through Parallel, a free website providing engaging maths challenges and live webinars for school children on a range of topics, and the related Top-Top Set scheme.
Finally, Simon acts as an advocate of mathematics at the highest level, both in the media, through his many appearances, and also with policy makers, serving for example on the Advisory Council for the Campaign for Science and Engineering.
Among his many prizes he was awarded the Kelvin Medal by the Institute of Physics, the Leelavati Award by the International Mathematical Union for his outstanding contribution to public outreach in mathematics, and in 2005 an MBE.
