A personal note on Academic genealogy
Tracing a thread of discoveries
I wondered how the research questions had evolved as I followed my supervisor’s supervisors back through time.
The trail runs from scientific computing into quantum physics, then back through mathematics and astronomy to Gauss. Reading it forwards, it shows how the subject evolved at the same time as technology advanced.
My own corner of that story is leveraging contemporary machine-learning tools and computing power for scientific discovery. It is one route through the vast network of teachers, collaborators, and ideas shaping the body of human knowledge.
A path through time
Earlier to later
- 1799doctorate
Carl Friedrich Gauss1
University of Helmstedt
Mathematics
Work across algebra, number theory, geometry, and astronomy; his doctorate concerned the fundamental theorem of algebra.
- 1810honoraryHonorary doctorate supported by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel2
University of Göttingen
Precision astronomy
Turned careful observations into measurements of stars and their distances, while developing mathematical tools now known as Bessel functions.
Honorary doctorate supported by Gauss.
- 1823doctorateDoctoral supervision by Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel.
Heinrich Ferdinand Scherk3
University of Berlin
Analysis & geometry
Studied with Bessel and Brandes. His work ranged from astronomy and analysis to the geometry of minimal surfaces.
- 1831doctorateDoctoral supervision by Heinrich Ferdinand Scherk.
Ernst Eduard Kummer4
University of Halle
Algebra & number theory
Worked with Scherk on trigonometric expansions, then developed ideal numbers, helping lay the groundwork for algebraic number theory.
- 1880doctorateDoctoral supervision by Ernst Eduard Kummer.
Carl Runge5
University of Berlin
Geometry → numerical analysis
Studied with Kummer and Weierstrass. His geometric doctoral work preceded the Runge–Kutta methods still used in scientific computing.
- 1906doctorateDoctoral supervision by Carl Runge.
Max Born6
University of Göttingen
Mathematical physics → quantum mechanics
Began with the stability of elastic curves under Runge, then helped develop quantum mechanics and its probabilistic interpretation.
- 1927doctorateDoctoral supervision by Max Born.
J. Robert Oppenheimer7
University of Göttingen
Quantum theory
Worked with Born on the quantum theory of continuous spectra, before teaching a generation of theoretical physicists.
- 1939doctorateDoctoral supervision by J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Sidney Dancoff7
University of California, Berkeley
Quantum mechanics
His thesis with Oppenheimer addressed quantum-mechanical problems involving nuclear forces, electron scattering, and radiation.
- 1949doctorateDoctoral supervision by Sidney Dancoff.
Sidney Drell8
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Nuclear & particle physics
Studied electromagnetic interactions with Dancoff, continuing into particle theory and the structure of matter.
- 1958doctorateDoctoral supervision by Sidney Drell.
Steven Frautschi9
Stanford University
Strong interactions
Trained with Drell, then explored how strongly interacting particles could be understood through bootstrap and statistical models.
- 1972doctorateDoctoral supervision by Steven Frautschi.
Christopher Hamer10
California Institute of Technology
Statistical models of particles
His thesis with Frautschi used statistical mechanics to study the spectrum and behaviour of strongly interacting particles.
- 1980sdoctoral studiesDoctoral supervision by Christopher Hamer.
Chris Allton11
Australian National University
Lattice quantum chromodynamics
Studied with Hamer and works on numerical calculations of the strong nuclear force, using large-scale computing.
- 2004doctorate
- 2025–in progressDoctoral supervision by Wes Armour.
Aleix Seguí Ugalde
University of Oxford
Machine learning & scientific discovery
My small part: machine learning tools, signal processing, and compression, using high-performance computing to help make sense of scientific data.
A note on the older links
The dashed line marks an honorary doctorate: Gauss supported Bessel’s award at Göttingen. This is the connection recorded by the Mathematics Genealogy Project.2
Scherk’s record lists Bessel and Brandes as advisers, and Runge’s lists Kummer and Weierstrass. I have followed the Bessel–Scherk–Kummer branch.345
Bessel’s year follows the Mathematics Genealogy Project. Allton’s exact doctorate year remains unconfirmed here.21112
Resources & references
Gauss: a biographical chronology
Gauss Society, Göttingen
Bessel: astronomy and the honorary doctorate supported by Gauss
Mathematics Genealogy Project; MacTutor, University of St Andrews
Scherk: doctoral studies with Bessel and Brandes
Mathematics Genealogy Project; MacTutor, University of St Andrews
Kummer: from Scherk’s student to Runge’s adviser
Mathematics Genealogy Project; MacTutor, University of St Andrews
Runge: from geometry to numerical methods
MacTutor, University of St Andrews; Mathematics Genealogy Project
Max Born: from elastic stability to quantum mechanics
Deutsche Biographie
Oppenheimer and Dancoff: doctoral records
Mathematics Genealogy Project; BibNet bibliography
Sidney Drell: physics and doctoral work with Dancoff
National Academy of Sciences; University of Illinois
Steven Frautschi: oral history, including his work with Drell
Caltech Archives, interviews by Shirley K. Cohen (2003)
Christopher Hamer: The Statistical Bootstrap Model (1972)
CaltechTHESIS
Chris Allton: his supervisor and doctoral students
Chris Allton’s academic lineage
Wes Armour: lattice QCD and scientific computing
Swansea University thesis repository; University of Oxford
The shoulders of giants, and the longer history of the phrase
David Boyd Haycock, via the Newton Project, University of Oxford