Ellis Cumberbatch to serve as dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Emeritus Professor Ellis Cumberbatch has been appointed as interim dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences for the 2011-12 academic year, effective July 1.

Cumberbatch replaces John Angus, who will be on sabbatical leave.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to lead such a strong program," Cumberbatch said. "I hope to continue the success that the School of Mathematical Sciences has enjoyed under John, and I share his commitment to the goal of preparing our outstanding students to assume prominent positions in the fields of government, industry, and education."

Cumberbatch's research interests include applied mathematics, industrial modeling, differential equations, fluid mechanics, and semiconductors.

He received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Manchester University in England in 1955. He earned his PhD in applied mathematics from Manchester in 1958.

He began his professional career as a post-doctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology that same year, followed by a research position at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.

In 1961, Cumberbatch returned to the UK as a lecturer in mathematics at Leeds University. He moved on to Purdue University in 1964, serving there as a professor of mathematics until he headed west to CGU in 1981.

At CGU, he has been both department chair and math clinic director and has served on a number of university committees.

He has worked as a consultant for organizations including IBM, the Rockwell Science Center and the Vehicle Research Corporation. He has been a reviewer for more than a dozen academic journals.

Cumberbatch is only the second dean to lead SMS. Angus was the founding dean, taking office in 2003 when the university elevated the math department to the status of a school.

Angus will rejoin the SMS faculty when he returns from sabbatical leave in the fall of 2012.