King approves appointment of James Maynard as Regius Professor of Mathematics at Oxford
A GOV.UK notice dated July 1 stated that the King has approved the appointment of Professor James Maynard FRS, Professor of Number Theory at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, as Regius Professor of Mathem.
At a glance
- The King approved James Maynard's appointment as Regius Professor of Mathematics at Oxford, per GOV.UK.
- Maynard succeeds Professor Sir Andrew Wiles in the post.
VERDICT — CONFIRMED
The King has approved the appointment of Professor James Maynard FRS as Regius Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford, according to a GOV.UK notice dated July 1.
Maynard, currently Professor of Number Theory at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, takes the chair in succession to Professor Sir Andrew Wiles, the notice states. The announcement was issued through the government's official publication channel, reflecting the Crown's formal role in filling Regius chairs.
On the record are the King's approval, Maynard's current post and the succession from Sir Andrew Wiles. The notice as available does not state the date on which Maynard takes up the chair, and no further particulars were given in the source material.
Background
Regius professorships are chairs founded or recognized by the sovereign, a tradition reaching back to the Tudor era, and appointments to them are formally approved by the monarch on government advice. The Regius Professorship of Mathematics at Oxford is a recent addition to that ancient roster: it was one of a set of new Regius chairs created to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday in 2016, and Sir Andrew Wiles became its first holder. Wiles is among the most celebrated mathematicians alive, known worldwide for his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, announced in 1993 and completed in 1994 after three centuries of failed attempts by others.
Maynard is a fitting successor in the eyes of the field: a number theorist recognized with the Fields Medal in 2022 — mathematics' highest honor, awarded every four years to mathematicians under 40 — for contributions to analytic number theory, including landmark results on gaps between prime numbers. The Mathematical Institute, where he holds his current professorship, is the centre of Oxford's mathematics research and has housed both men's careers.
What comes next
The procedural step left open by the notice is the effective date: when Maynard formally assumes the chair. Watch Oxford's Mathematical Institute and the university's official announcements for the installation date and any accompanying statement from Maynard or the university — details the GOV.UK notice did not carry.
Key facts on file
- The King approved James Maynard's appointment as Regius Professor of Mathematics at Oxford, per GOV.UK.
- Maynard succeeds Professor Sir Andrew Wiles in the post.
