Profile
Prof Nigel Byott
Professor of Pure Mathematics
Telephone: 01392 723982
Extension: (Streatham) 3982
Career
After undergraduate study in Cambridge, and taking "Part III" of the Mathematics Tripos there, I was a PhD student in Manchester, where my thesis was on "Cleft Extensions of Hopf Orders". I was G.H.Hardy Junior Research Fellow at New College, Oxford for two years before coming to Exeter in 1991 as Lecturer in Pure Mathematics.
Research
My research is at the interface of algebraic number theory and abstract algebra.
I work on various aspects Galois module structure in tamely or wildly ramified extensions of local and global fields, including the determination of realisable classes for tame extensions, and the occurrence of Hopf orders as associated orders of rings of integers.
I am also interested in Hopf-Galois theory, in particular, the enumeration of all Hopf-Galois structures on a given field extension, and in comparing the behaviour of rings of integers in different Hopf-Galois structures. Some of my recent work concerns connections between Hopf-Galois structures and various algebraic objects (braces and skew braces) which give rise to solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation of theoretical physics.
Teaching.
Over the years I have taught a number of topics within Pure Mathematics, and also Mathematics: History and Culture, and Mathematical Theory of Option Pricing.
In 2019/20, I am module leader for the first-year module Mathematical Structures and the 3rd year module Galois Theory.
Other Responsibilities
I am currently Academic Lead for the Number Theory, Geometry and Algebra group. I have previously held various other administrative roles, including Admissions Officer and Assessment Officer.
I am also Exeter representative for the London Mathematical Society, and was for 10 years a member of the LMS Editorial Advisory Board.