Nick Wormald

Charles Nicholas "Nick" Wormald is an Australian mathematician who deals with combinatorics and optimization.

Wormald 1979 his doctorate at the University of Newcastle to Robert William Robinson ( Some problems in the enumeration of labeled labeled graphs ). He was a professor at the University of Melbourne and the University of Auckland, before he went to 2006 to the University of Waterloo and there occupied the Canada Research Chair in combinatorics and optimization.

It deals with probabilistic combinatorics, graph theory, enumerative combinatorics, combinatorial algorithms, Steiner trees, with applications, among others, on the optimization of mines in mining.

In 1979 he solved a problem of Paul Erdős concerning the coloring of graphs ( Erdős of $ 25 a doped). He used a computer to construct a flat lot with 6448 points without equilateral triangles of length 1 whose associated graph ( points were each connected if distance 1) was not colorable with three colors ( chromatic number 4), contrary to the conjecture of Erdos and to its surprise.

In 2006 he was awarded the Euler Medal, and the Research Medal of the Australian Mathematical Society. In 2012 he was awarded an Australian Laureate Fellowship.