Joel Spencer
Encyclopedia
Joel Spencer is an American
mathematician
. He is a combinatorialist
who has worked on probabilistic
methods in combinatorics and on Ramsey theory
. He received his doctorate from Harvard University
in 1970, under the supervision of Andrew Gleason
. He is currently a professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
of New York University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
. He is a combinatorialist
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
who has worked on probabilistic
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
methods in combinatorics and on Ramsey theory
Ramsey theory
Ramsey theory, named after the British mathematician and philosopher Frank P. Ramsey, is a branch of mathematics that studies the conditions under which order must appear...
. He received his doctorate from 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...
in 1970, under the supervision of Andrew Gleason
Andrew Gleason
Andrew Mattei Gleason was an American mathematician and the eponym of Gleason's theorem and the Greenwood–Gleason graph. After briefly attending Berkeley High School he graduated from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, then Yale University in 1942, where he became a Putnam Fellow...
. He is currently a professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences is an independent division of New York University under the Faculty of Arts & Science that serves as a center for research and advanced training in computer science and mathematics...
of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Selected publications
- Probabilistic methods in combinatorics, with Paul ErdősPaul ErdosPaul Erdős was a Hungarian mathematician. Erdős published more papers than any other mathematician in history, working with hundreds of collaborators. He worked on problems in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, classical analysis, approximation theory, set theory, and probability theory...
, New York: Academic Press, 1974. - Ramsey theory, with Bruce L. Rothschild and Ronald L. Graham, New York: Wiley, 1980; 2nd ed., 1990.
- Ten lectures on the probabilistic method, Philadelphia: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, 1987; 2nd ed., 1994.
- The probabilistic method, with Noga AlonNoga AlonNoga Alon is an Israeli mathematician noted for his contributions to combinatorics and theoretical computer science, having authored hundreds of papers.- Academic background :...
, New York: Wiley, 1992; 2nd ed., 2000; 3rd ed., 2008 - The strange logic of random graphs, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2001.