Dr Peter Davidson

Teaching Fellow

Mathematics and Statistics

Personal statement

My research interests are in geometric methods in combinatorial group theory. I obtained my PhD from the Univeristy of Glasgow in 2008 under the supervision of Prof. Stephen J. Pride. I joined the University of Strathclyde in that year as a Teaching Assistant and I am now a Teaching Fellow. Between 2011 and 2018 I was the Manager of the University's Maths Skills Support Centre.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Ordinary Member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and sit on the Society's Education Committee. I am also the Director of Teaching for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and was previously the department's Chief Undergraduate Academic Selector and Year 1 Coordinator.

Qualifications

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (August 2019).

Publications

The provision of mathematics and statistics support in Scottish higher education institutions (2017) : a comparative study by the Scottish mathematics support network
Ahmed Shazia, Davidson Peter, Durkacz Kate, Macdonald Calum, Richard Morgiane, Walker Alan
MSOR Connections Vol 16, pp. 5-19 (2018)
https://doi.org/10.21100/msor.v16i3.798
The word problem for Pride groups
Davidson Peter
Communications in Algebra Vol 42, pp. 1448-1459 (2014)
https://doi.org/10.1080/00927872.2012.731620
Second order Dehn functions of Pride groups
Davidson Peter
Journal of Group Theory Vol 15, pp. 513-527 (2012)
https://doi.org/10.1515/jgt-2012-0007
On the asphericity of a family of relative group presentations
Davidson PJ
International Journal of Algebra and Computation Vol 19, pp. 159-189 (2009)
https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218196709005007

More publications

Teaching

In 2022/23 I will be teaching:

  • MM101: Introduction to Calculus
  • MM114: Mathematics 2E
  • MM301: Linear Algebra

Previous teaching:

  • MM103: Geometry and Algebra with Applications
  • MM105: Applications of Mathematics
  • MM112: Mathematics 2B
  • MM113: Mathematics 1E
  • MM116: Mathematics 1C
  • MM117: Mathematics 1D
  • MM125: Mathematics Summer School
  • MM202: Advanced Calculus
  • MM211: Mathematics 3B
  • MM213: Engineering Mathematics 3E
  • MM215: Mathematics 2D
  • MM217: Mathematics 2M
  • MM311: Mathematics 4B

I have supervised a number of level 4 honours projects in topics such as topology, theory of automata, complex dynamics, geometry, knot theory, number theory and group theory.

Research interests

I am interested in a number of areas in combinatorial group theory and semigroup theory:

  • the word problem for finitely presented group
  • Dehn functions of groups
  • asphericity of relative group presentations
  • groups defined by finite state automata
  • inverse semigroups

I am also interested in pedagogical research in the Mathematical Sciences, particularly in areas related to Mathematics and Satistics support.

Address

Mathematics and Statistics
Livingstone Tower

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