Thomas Salisbury to receive CMS 2015 Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service

OTTAWA — York University Professor, Thomas Salisbury is the recipient of the 2015 Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his sustained and significant contributions to the Canadian mathematical community and to the Canadian Mathematical Society.

“Tom has exemplified the long and dedicated service that is the hallmark of this award,” said Kenneth Davidson (Waterloo), in his nomination letter for Salisbury. “This includes many key positions in the Canadian Mathematical Society over the past 26 years, as well as service to the mathematics community in many other ways.”

Tom's history of CMS service includes various roles, including President (2006-2008), Vice-President - Ontario (1999-2001), and Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Mathematical Bulletin (1990-1995, with S.O. Kochman). He has sat on numerous CMS committees, among them the Publications Committee (Chair 1996-1997) and Nominating Committee (current Chair). He has also been an organizer of CMS Meetings (Winter 2001) and training camps, and was one of several local organizers for Canada's 1995 International Mathematical Olympiad.

Tom has also served the broader mathematical community through a term as Deputy Director of the Fields Institute (2003-2006), service on NSERC's Mathematics and Statistics Evaluation Group, the MITACS board of directors, a term as Chair of his department at York University, and as Associate Editor for Probability Theory and Related Fields, Potential Analysis, and the Canadian Journal of Statistics. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and of the Fields Institute.

"It is because of people like Tom that the CMS continues to play an important role in our community," commented Lia Bronsard (McMaster), CMS President. "We thank him for his influential role on the CMS and in the mathematical community overall.”

As noted by his colleague Keith Taylor (Dalhousie), “When Tom takes on a job, he does it well. He is principled in his analysis of complex or delicate situations and exceptionally reliable on deliverables in service rolls that are essentially volunteer work.” Tom is recognized for dedicated, high quality service.

Tom received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in 1983; he has spent extended periods of time at Purdue University, University of California-San Diego, Université Paris-Sud, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Auckland. Tom and his wife Kathy have three grown children, and enjoy hiking, music, books, and their cottage near Minden Ontario.

The Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service will be presented at the 2015 CMS Winter Meeting in Montreal, December 4 to 7.

About the Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service

The Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service is presented annually to an individual who has made sustained and significant contributions to the Canadian mathematics community, particularly through their involvement with the CMS. This award is named in honour of Dr. Graham Wright (Ottawa) who served as the CMS Executive Director and Secretary from 1979 to 2009.

About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)

Founded in 1945, the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) promotes the advancement, discovery, learning and application of mathematics. CMS funds and promotes activities including scientific meetings, research publications, education and awards. For more information visit cms.math.ca.

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