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George F. R. Ellis: Summary Curriculum Vitae, 2005
Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Professional research work: relativity theory and cosmology, complexity studies, the brain.
Web pages at http://www.mth.uct.ac.za/~ellis/
Academic positions:
1961: BSc (Hons), University of Cape Town
1964: PhD (Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics), Cambridge University [St John's College]
1965-1967: Research Fellow, Peterhouse, Cambridge
1967-1974: University Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer, Cambridge University; Fellow of Wolfson College
1970: Visiting Professor, University of Chicago
1972: Visiting H3 Professor, University of Hamburg
1973: Visiting Professor, Physics Department, Boston University
1974-1988 and 1990- 2004: Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town
1978-1979: Visiting Professor, University of Alberta, Edmonton
1984 and 1987: Visiting Professor, University of Texas, Austin
1988 - 1993: Professor of Cosmic Physics, International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
[latterly part-time]
1988 on: G C MacVittie Visiting Professor of Astronomy, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary College, London University, UK
Fellow of Royal Astronomical Society (UK)
Fellow of Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (UK)
Member of International Astronomical Union (Cosmology Commission 104),
Member and on International Committee (1982-1995) of International Society of Relativity and Gravitation
(President 1989-1992)
Fellow of Royal Society of South Africa, past Council Member (President 1991-1995).
Member South African Academy of Science, past Council member
Member of Inter-Academy Council, 2000-2005
Fellow of Third World Academy of Science, 2005-
Awards:
1979: Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition 1st Prize
1984: Herschel Medal of the Royal Society of South Africa.
1993: Claude Harris Leon Foundation Achievement Award.
South Africa Medal (Gold) of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science (S2A3) .
1996: Honorary Degree, Haverford College (Pennsylvania).
1998: Honorary Degree, University of Natal.
1999: Star of South Africa Medal awarded by President Mandela.
Medal of South African Mathematical Society for research distinction
2001: Honorary Degree, Queen Mary College, London University
2004: Templeton Prize
Publications:
Over 250 scientific papers, mainly on relativity theory and cosmology..
Principal scientific and policy books:
1. The Large Scale Structure of Space Time, with S W Hawking (Cambridge University Press, 1973).
2. Low Income Housing Policy in South Africa, with D Dewar (Urban Problems research Unit, University of Cape Town, 1979).
3. Flat and Curved Space-Times, with R M Williams (Oxford University Press, 1988; revised version, 2000).
4. The Renaissance of General Relativity and Cosmology, with A Lanza and J Miller (Cambridge University Press, 1993).
5. Science Research Policy in South Africa (Royal Society of South Africa, 1994).
6. The dynamical systems approach to cosmology, with J Wainwright (Cambridge University Press, 1996).
7. Is The Universe Open or Closed? The Density of Matter in the Universe, with P Coles (Cambridge University Press, 1997).
Work in the Science/Religion area:
I am interested in the synthesis of a broad approach to science, cosmology, religion, and ethics that takes seriously modern knowledge but also the limits to that knowledge, based on a coherent approach to epistemology and verification in the light of all the data available. This has led to a major interest in emergence and reductionism. I have been a participant in the Vatican Observatory/CTNS series of meetings on "Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action", 1991 - 2000, was the J K Russell Fellow of Science and Religion at the Centre for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California, in 1994, and took part in the first Science and the Spiritual Quest project (1998/1999). I am on the Templeton Foundation advisory board and was a founding member of ISSR (President, 2004-).
This work is informed inter alia by my experiences as Chairman of Quaker Service Fund, Western Cape, 1978-1986; Chairman of Quaker Peacework Committee (Western Cape), 1983-1986; Chairman of the Quaker Peace Centre Board (1992-1999); and Clerk of Southern African Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), 1986-8.
Papers published in this area:
1. ``Critique: The Church and the Scientific Community." In John Paul II on Science and religion: Reflections on the New View from Rome. Ed R J Russell. Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California. 1990, pp.23-30.
2. "The theology of the Anthropic Principle". In Quantum Cosmology and the Laws of Nature. Ed R J Russell, N Murphy and C J Isham (Vatican Observatory, 1993), pp 367-406.
3. "God and the Universe: Kenosis as the foundation of being". Bulletin of the CTNS, 14, 1-14 (1994).
4. "Ordinary and extraordinary divine action: the nexus of intervention". In Chaos and Complexity: Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action, Ed. R J Russell, N Murphy and A Peacocke. Vatican Observatory, Vatican City State/ Center for Theology and The Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California (1995), 359-395.
5. "The thinking underlying the new `scientific' world-views". In Evolutionary and Molecular Biology. Ed R Russell, W Stoeger, F Ayala. (Vatican Observatory/CTNS, 1998), 251-280.
6. "Intimations of Transcendence: Relations of the Mind and God." In Neuroscience and the person. Ed R J Russell, N Murphy, T C Meyering, M A Arbib. (Vatican Observatory/CTNSD; University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1999), 449-474.
7. "Profile on Nancey Murphy". ZYGON, 34, (December 1999): 601-607.
8. "Reflections on Quantum Theory and the Macroscopic World" In Quantum Mechanics: Scientific Perspectives on Divine Action (Vatican Observatory/Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, 2001) 259-292.
9. "Response to comments re `On the Moral Nature of the Universe'". CTNS Bulletin, 18, No 4 (1999), 28-30.
10. "Kenosis as a unifying theme for life and cosmology. In The Work of Love: Creation as Kenosis, ed J Polkinghorne (William Eerdmans, 2001), 107-126.
11. “On Rationality, Emotion, Faith, and Hope: Being Human in the Present Age”. Article for Humanity in Science and Religion: the South African experience, Ed A Schutte. (Templeton Press, 2005)
12. `Kenotic Ethics and SETI: A present-day view’. Article for SETI Institute book, ed D. Vakoch (to appear, 2005).
13: “Scientific Issues Arising” (2004). To appear in Capstone Conference Proceedings, Ed N Murphy, W Stoeger, G Coyne, R Russell. (Vatican Observatory/CTNS, 2005)
14. A universe of Ethics, Morality and Hope Ed C S Helrich (Pandora Press Kitchener Ontario, 2003)
15. Science in Faith and Hope: an interaction. (Quaker Books, 2004) ISBN 0 85245 371 X
Books published in this area:
1. G F R Ellis: Before the Beginning (Bowerdean Press/Marion Boyers, London. 1993).
2. N Murphy and G F R Ellis: On The Moral Nature of the universe: Cosmology, Theology, and Ethics (Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1996).
3. G F R Ellis (ed): The Far Future Universe. (Templeton Foundation Press, 2002)
Papers on emergence include:
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“True Complexity and its Associated Ontology”. In Science and Ultimate Reality: Quantum Theory, Cosmology and Complexity, honoring John Wheeler's 90th birthday. Edited by John D. Barrow, Paul C.W. Davies, and Charles L. Harper, Jr. (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
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“On the nature of emergent reality”. In The Re-emergence of Emergence, ed P Clayton and P C W Davies (Oxford University Press, 2005).
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“Science, Complexity, and the Natures of Existence” To appear in Emergence---from physics to theology Edited by Nancey Murphy and William R. Stoeger, S.J. (2005)
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“Physics and the Real World”. To appear in Physics Today (July 2005).
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“Physics, Complexity, and Causality”. To appear in Nature (June 2005).
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Web pages at http://www.mth.uct.ac.za/~ellis/cos0.htmlll
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