25 June 2025
Remembering Professor Edward Brian Davies FRS
Tribute to Emeritus Professor Edward Brian Davies, who passed away 2 June 2025.
The Department of Mathematics at King’s is deeply saddened to announce the death of Emeritus Professor Edward Brian Davies FRS, who passed away on 2 June 2025, aged 80.
Professor Davies (known as Brian to his colleagues) was appointed to a Chair in Mathematics at King's in 1981 and served the College with distinction until retiring in 2010. He was Head of the Department of Mathematics from 1990 to 1993 and led the Analysis Group from 1990 until his retirement, helping establish it as a centre of international renown.
During his tenure, Brian recruited and mentored numerous doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to distinguished academic careers. He played a pivotal role in strengthening King’s research in spectral theory, partial differential equations, and mathematical physics.
Brian was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1995 for his seminal work on spectral and scattering theory, heat kernels, and the analysis of quantum systems. He was elected a Fellow of King’s College London in 1996 and received the King’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010.
Beyond the College, Brian was a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and served as President of the London Mathematical Society from 2007 to 2009. He received the Society’s Senior Berwick Prize in 1998 and its prestigious Pólya Prize in 2011.
A prolific scholar, he authored over 200 research papers and several influential monographs, as well as two books on the philosophy of mathematics and science. After retiring, his intellectual curiosity turned to exploring the intersections of ancient history, archaeology, and scientific thought.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and former students. His legacy will endure through the many lives he touched at King’s and beyond.