Michael J. D. Powell

{{Short description|Applied mathematician (1936–2015)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Michael Powell | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|FRS|FAA|size=100%}} | birth_name = Michael James David Powell | image = Michael_J._D._Powell.gif | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date |df=y|1936|07|29}} | birth_place = London | death_date = {{death date and age |df=y|2015|04|19 |1936|07|29}}<ref name=rsbm>{{cite journal|last1=Buhmann|first1=Martin D.|last2=Fletcher|first2=Roger|author-link2=Roger Fletcher (mathematician)|last3=Iserles|first3=Arieh|author-link3=Arieh Iserles|last4=Toint|first4=Philippe|url=http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/na/NA_papers/NA2017_04.pdf|title=Michael J. D. Powell. 29 July 1936 – 19 April 2015|journal=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society|volume=64|pages=341–366|year=2018|publisher=Royal Society|location=London|issn=0080-4606|doi=10.1098/rsbm.2017.0023|s2cid=59006501|doi-access=free}}</ref> | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | other_names = | pronounce = | residence = | citizenship = | nationality = | fields = Numerical analysis<br />Optimization<br />Approximation<ref name=googlescholar/> | workplaces = University of Cambridge | patrons = | education = Frensham Heights School<br />Eastbourne College | alma_mater = University of Cambridge (BA, ScD)<ref name=mathgene/> | thesis_title =  | thesis_url =  | thesis_year =  | doctoral_advisor =  | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = Powell's method<br />Davidon–Fletcher–Powell formula | influences = | influenced = | awards = Naylor Prize and Lectureship | spouse =  | partner =  | children = | signature =  | signature_alt = | website = {{URL|http://michaeljdpowell.blogspot.co.uk}} }} '''Michael James David Powell''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|FRS|FAA}}<ref name=rsbm/> (29 July 1936{{snd}}19 April 2015) was a British mathematician, who worked in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge.<ref name=mathgene>{{MathGenealogy|id=65706}}</ref><ref name=googlescholar>{{Google scholar id}}</ref><ref>[http://lsec.cc.ac.cn/~icnaao/ ICNAAO 2016] (5 August—7, 2016, Beijing), a memorial conference organized by Professor [http://lsec.cc.ac.cn/~yyx/ Ya-xiang Yuan]</ref><ref>[http://michaeljdpowell.blogspot.ca/2015/04/michael-j-d-powell-1936-2015.html A memorial site] set up by [https://www.gerad.ca/~orban/ Dr. Dominique Orban]</ref><ref>[http://www.mat.uc.pt/~lnv/papers/mjdp.pdf An Interview with M. J. D. Powell] by Luis Nunes Vicente, 14 June 2003 </ref>

==Education and early life== Born in London, Powell was educated at Frensham Heights School and Eastbourne College.<ref name=rsbm/> He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree{{when|date=February 2018}} followed by a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree in 1979 at the University of Cambridge.<ref name=oralhistory>{{cite web|url=http://history.siam.org/oralhistories/powell.htm |title=Powell in Oral History of SIAM |publisher=SIAM |date= 6 April 2005 }} see also [http://history.siam.org/pdfs2/Powell_final.pdf An Interview with M. J. D. Powell] by Philip J. Davis, 6 April 2005</ref>

==Career and research== Powell was known for his extensive work in numerical analysis, especially nonlinear optimisation and approximation. He was a founding member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and a founding editor-in-chief of ''IMA Journal of Numerical Analysis''.<ref>{{Citation |author=Buhmann, M. D. |author2=Fletcher, R. |author3=Iserles, A. |author4=Toint, P. | year=2018 | title=Michael J. D. Powell. 29 July 1936—19 April 2015 | journal=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society | volume=64 | pages=341–366 | publisher=The Royal Society | doi=10.1098/rsbm.2017.0023 |doi-access=free }}</ref> His mathematical contributions include quasi-Newton methods, particularly the Davidon–Fletcher–Powell formula and the Powell's Symmetric Broyden formula, augmented Lagrangian function (also called Powell–Rockafellar penalty function), sequential quadratic programming method (also called as Wilson–Han–Powell method), trust region algorithms (Powell's dog leg method), conjugate direction method (also called Powell's method), and radial basis function.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} He had been working on derivative-free optimization algorithms in recent years, the resultant algorithms including COBYLA, UOBYQA, NEWUOA, BOBYQA, and LINCOA.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.libprima.net |title=PRIMA: Reference Implementation for Powell's Methods with Modernization and Amelioration|access-date=23 April 2023}}</ref> He was the author of numerous scientific papers<ref name=googlescholar/> and of several books, most notably ''Approximation Theory and Methods''.<ref>''Approximation Theory and Methods'', {{ISBN|978-0521295147}}.</ref>

===Awards and honours=== Powell won several awards, including the George B. Dantzig Prize from the Mathematical Programming Society/Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and the Naylor Prize from the London Mathematical Society.{{when|date=February 2018}} Powell was elected a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States in 2001 and as a corresponding fellow to the Australian Academy of Science in 2007.<ref name=oralhistory/><ref>[http://www-optima.amp.i.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ORB/issue21/interview_mike.html An Interview with M. J. D. Powell] by [https://web.archive.org/web/20150519062641/http://my.gl.fudan.edu.cn/teacherhome/xlsun/english.html Xiaoling Sun], 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.ima.org.uk/mathematics/mt_catherine_richards_prize_0208.html Citation] for winning the Catherine Richards Prize</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ccpforge.cse.rl.ac.uk/gf/project/powell |title=Optimization software by Professor M. J. D. Powell at CCPForge |access-date=13 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419095042/https://ccpforge.cse.rl.ac.uk/gf/project/powell/ |archive-date=19 April 2015 }}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Michael James David}} Category:1936 births Category:2015 deaths Category:Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Category:Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Category:Mathematicians from London Category:Academic journal editors Category:Cambridge mathematicians Category:Fellows of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications Category:Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Category:Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Category:People educated at Frensham Heights School Category:People educated at Eastbourne College Category:John Humphrey Plummer Professors