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David Mumford is a mathematician known for his work in algebraic geometry and in applying mathematics to computer vision.
He initially worked as a pure mathematician, playing a central role in the field of algebraic geometry by reviving invariant theory. He has deepened the classical Italian theory of algebraic surfaces, and expanded the analytic theory of theta functions, applying it to arithmetic questions and differential equations, as well as moduli spaces. In his computer science work and in collaboration with psychologists and neurophysiologists, Mumford is searching for algorithms that mimic the patterns of activity of the nerve signals governing visual perception in humans, and for the mathematical formation describing the computation that they perform.
Biography
Mumford is a University Professor in the Division of Applied Mathematics at Brown University. He taught previously at Harvard University. He is the author and co-author of many books, including Indra’s Pearls: The Vision of Felix Klein (2002), a book about serious mathematics written primarily for nonmathematicians. His numerous articles have appeared in such publications as Nature Neuroscience, the International Journal of Computer Vision, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
Mumford received a B.S. (1957) and a Ph.D. (1962) from Harvard University.
Last updated January 1, 2005
Published on July 1, 1987
