Alan B. Tayler

Education Tayler was privately educated at King's College School

Career and research Tayler was a distinguished applied mathematician who made important contributions in a wide range of areas (notably lubrication theory, surface gravity waves and viscous dissipation), but his key contribution to science was as the driving force behind the establishment of what is often called "mathematics-in-industry" or "industrial mathematics" (i.e. the application of mathematical approaches to the modeling and analysis of a wide range of real-world problems) as a recognized scientific discipline in its own right. His philosophy is perfectly exemplified by the Oxford (now European) Study Groups with Industry which he and Professor Leslie Fox created in 1968 and are still going strong today. His approach to mathematical modelling is described in his monograph "Mathematical Models in Applied Mechanics", and is commemorated by the annual Alan Tayler Lecture held at the St Catherine's College, Oxford in November each year. During his career he supervised research of several notable applied mathematicians, including John Ockendon and John King.

Awards and honours

In 1982 Alan Tayler was jointly awarded (with James Lighthill) the IMA Gold Medal of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) for his services to applied mathematics, and in 1993 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993 for his services to applied science and industry.

Personal life Tayler was born in Mitcham, Surrey on 5 September 1931 and died in Ducklington, Oxfordshire on 29 January 1995.