Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox scientist David John Simms (13 January 1933 – 24 June 2018) was an Indian-born Irish mathematician who was a Fellow Emeritus and former Associate Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College, Dublin. Born in Sankeshwar, Mysore (the state now known as Karnataka), India, he specialized in differential geometry and geometric quantisation. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy from 1978 and was a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Mathematical Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy.<ref name=obit>David John Simms obituary Irish Math. Soc. Bulletin No. 88, Winter 2021, 15–22</ref>
Academic careerEdit
Simms completed his undergraduate degree in Mathematics in Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 1955. He was elected a Scholar of the College in 1952, when he was just in the first year of his degree, a notable achievement. He went on to do a Ph.D. in the University of Cambridge under W. V. D. Hodge.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> Simms lectured in Glasgow University before returning to Trinity. He served as head of the Department of Pure and Applied Mathematics from 1991 to 1998.<ref name=obit/>
Simms' research interests included differential geometry and geometric quantisation.
Books and select publicationsEdit
- Lie Groups and Quantum Mechanics, Springer Lecture Notes in Mathematics Number 52, 1968
- Lectures on Geometric Quantization, (with N.M.J. Woodhouse) Springer Lecture Notes in Physics Number 53, 1976 professional papers.
- Geometric quantization of energy levels in the Kepler problem, D.J. Simms - Symposia Mathematica, 1974<ref>zbmath database</ref>
David Simms was a member of the Royal Irish Academy since 1978.<ref>David John Simms</ref> He was a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Mathematical Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy.<ref>Editorial Board. Mathematical Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Accessed 24 December 2009.</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Simms was married to Anngret Erichson, a former associate professor and head of geography at University College Dublin. They had three sons,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> one of whom, Brendan Simms, is a professor of international relations at Cambridge University. As a child Simms survived 13 days at sea following the sinking of the SS City of Cairo in November 1942.<ref>passenger list SS City of Cairo</ref><ref>Thirteen Days in a Lifeboat: An account of the sinking by David Simms, SS City of Cairo</ref> He was also the nephew of Irish communist Brian Goold-Verschoyle.<ref>Irish victims of Stalin uncovered, BBC, 16 June 2007</ref> He was also the nephew of Archbishop George Otto Simms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Simms died on 25 June 2018 in Dublin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>