Douglas Northcott

Douglas Geoffrey Northcott, FRS (31 December 1916, London – 8 April 2005) was a British mathematician who worked on ideal theory.

He was educated at Christ's Hospital and St John's College, Cambridge. He started research under the supervision of G.H. Hardy but his work was interrupted by service in World War II after which he turned to algebra under the influence of Emil Artin, whom he had met while visiting Princeton University.

He became a Research Fellow of St John's College in 1948, then moved to the Town Trust Chair of Pure Mathematics at Sheffield University in 1952. He was awarded the London Mathematical Society Junior Berwick Prize in 1953 and served as LMS Vice-President during 1968-69. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1961.