Tristan Needham (son of the distinguished social anthropologist Rodney Needham)
grew up in Oxford, England, where he attended the Dragon School (with Stephen
Wolfram and Hugh Laurie).
He studied physics at Merton College, Oxford, before moving to the Mathematical
Institute, where he enjoyed the great privilege of studying black holes under
the supervision of Sir Roger Penrose.
Tristan received his D. Phil. in 1987, and joined the faculty of the University
of San Francisco in 1989.
His current focus is Differential Geometry, but Complex Analysis,
General Relativity, and the history of
science are abiding loves. His continuing mission is to seek out new intuitive
forms of understanding, and new visualizations.
His book Visual Complex Analysis won
first prize in the
National Jesuit Book Award Competition.
An earlier paper received the Mathematical Association of America's Carl B. Allendoerfer Award.
