Ivor Robinson (physicist)

Ivor Robinson (1923 – May 27, 2016) was an American mathematical physicist, born and educated in England. He was a principle organizer of the Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics.

Born in Liverpool, October 7, 1923, Robinson studied at Cambridge University. His only degree was a B.A. in 1947. His first academic placements were at University College of Wales, Kings College, London, University of North Carolina, University of Hamburg, Syracuse University and Cornell University.

Alfred Schild was developing a department strong in relativity at Austin, Texas, when a second Texas center for relativity research was proposed. Lloyd Berkner was directing the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies at Dallas and brought Robinson there in 1963 when it was a "windowless cube on the Southern Methodist University campus". Robinson was head of the Mathematics and Mathematical Physics division. This institution became the University of Texas at Dallas. "Ivor was charged with the formation of a mathematical physics group concentrating on general relativity and cosmology." He brought Istvan Ozsváth and Wolfgang Rindler to Dallas.

According to Rindler, "No one who knew him will forget what a brilliant conversationalist he was, with his sonorous deep voice and ultra-English accent, with his convictions and occasional mischievousness." "Ivor Robinson is a brilliant mathematician who showed us the elegant simplicity of space-time by pointing to its null structure."

Robinson retired in 2000, but remained Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas.

...
Wikipedia