Who is Magnus?

Magnus is the bloke who put the M into M-Space.

In case you're wondering why M-Space rather than something (superficially) more descriptive like Magnus' Website, it's partly because I wanted a more distinctive name for the site. As a mathematician I used to spend a lot of my time working in various different spaces, although I don't do that so much these days, and since my name is Magnus the name suggested itself without the intake of too much caffeine (if, indeed, there is such a concept).

To start with, here is a picture of me:

Magnus playing the ukulele

If you're reading the page carefully, you will have already learned at least three things about me: I'm a mathematician, I play the ukulele, and I have a beard. You are also about to discover that I have a fondness for alliteration, particularly (or so it would appear) with the letter 'M'.

Mathematics

I did my degree in mathematics at the University of Nottingham between 1995 and 1999, and then moved to Bangor (in Wales) to do a PhD in algebra. I finished that in February 2004. Usually the phrase "I'm a mathematician" is guaranteed to kill any conversation at a party, but if you're interested, you can have a look at my thesis: Representations of Crossed Modules and Cat1-Groups (PDF; 800Kb).

Since finishing my PhD, I haven't done a lot of maths research. For a while I worked part-time in the university maths department (still in Bangor) as a lecturer, teaching linear algebra and "Mathematics for computing" (also known as discrete mathematics) to first-year students, but then they stopped the undergraduate maths degree course so I had to find alternative jobs. Faced with a choice between staying in my subject area or my geographical area, I chose the latter, and I now work as administrator for Penrallt Baptist Church (a job which involves maintaining their website).

Music

As well as the ukulele pictured above, I play a number of different instruments. I'm interested in a wide variety of musical styles, and music is sufficiently important to me to get a page of its own.

In November 2004 I started Scottish Country Dancing. Initially my interest in this was to help me understand the music better, but I quickly found that I enjoyed the dancing very much in its own right too and I am still doing it.

My Beard

I first grew my beard immediately after leaving school at 18. I made the mistake of shaving it off after a fortnight of camping in a very dry, sunny summer, which left me with a two-tone face (a bit like those old Ford Cortinas you used to get back in the 80s). I've never shaved since then. I'm very attached to my beard, and I wouldn't get rid of it even if you paid me a lot to do so (though I'm open to very large offers ...)