Philip Griffin, Professor
Mailing Address:
Philip Griffin earned a B.Sc. at Bristol University (England) in 1976 and a Ph.D. at Minnesota in 1982, writing a dissertation under the direction of William Pruitt. He was an assistant professor at the University of Washington 1982-1984, and then came to SU where he was quickly promoted to associate professor in 1987 and to professor in 1992. Phil’s research interests are probability theory, harmonic analysis and mathematical finance, and he has published 29 papers, many joint with a wide number of collaborators and with increasing length. He has given 25 lectures between 1983 and 2000, including the Sherman Memorial Lecture at Indiana University in 1990, a talk at the Upstate New York Probability Conference in Rochester in 1986, and “The mathematics behind a Nobel Prize in economics” at the Seaway section of MAA in 1999. SU and Rochester used to alternate as host for the Upstate NY Probability Conference, and there was a special session in probability at an AMS meeting held at SU some years ago. Phil has been an associate editor of the Journal of Theoretical Probability since 1995, and he had NSF grants 1983-1993 and NSA grants 1993-1997. He has directed one Ph.D. dissertation so far, Fozia Qazi (2001), and is a member of AMS and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. In the Department he has been a member of the Executive Committee 1997-1999 and 2001-2003, the Graduate Committee 1989-1992 (chair 1990-1991), 1994-1997 (chair 1996-1999), and 1999-2000 (chair), and of 6 ad hoc committees on reappointment, promotion and/or tenure. Phil was a member of the chairperson search committee 1990-1991, was a freshman advisor in 1992-1994, and was chair of the professional master’s degree committee. In the College he was a member of the committee on student standards 1994-1999 and he is a member of the University Senate and of its Committee on Administrative Operations, both 1999-2003 (at least). Phil went to Minnesota “at the recommendation of my advisor in Bristol who happened to be an American. I knew nothing about Minnesota and was given a rude awakening when the first –20 degree day occurred.” He met Joyce at the University, where she was a secretary in mathematics, and they were married in 1983. They have one son, Nicholas, who will be a senior at Jamesville-Dewitt High School next year. About two months before Nicholas was born, Guy and Jean Johnson hosted a surprise shower for the Griffins. The Johnsons then lived on Waring Road very close to the Tecumseh School, we had to park at the school to keep our presence secret from the Griffins and it was indeed a surprise to the Griffins to find us all there. Generally the family travels together have been to see Joyce’s parents in Minnesota and Phil’s parents in England. They did spend six months in Cambridge in 1988. Phil usually runs 3 times a week for total of about 12 to 15 miles and in the summer he plays golf. Sources: January 2001 cv. and Phil Griffin’s email response to my questions. --Phil Church-- 6/29/02 |
