Dr Thomas Britz
Education
- PhD in Mathematics (Aarhus University, 2003)
I am part of the at the here at ʹڲƱ Sydney.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SERVICE POSITIONS
Council Member of the (CMSA) (2024 – )
President of the (CMSA) (2021 – 2024)
Friend of the Australian Council of Heads of Mathematical Sciences (2021 – 2024)
Chief Editor of (2015 –)
Managing Editor for the (2011 – )
Area Editor for the (2014 – 2023)
Referee for 61 journals and 2 conference proceedings (> 175 reports)
Reviewer for Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt MATH (> 250 reviews)
Grant proposal assessor for ARC DP, NISDRG, FRP, Vidi (32 reports)
PhD Opponent/Assessor (2 times)
Co-organiser of the 42th Australasian Conference on Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, ʹڲƱ, December 2019(2018– 2019)
Co-organiser of the 36th Australasian Conference on Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, ʹڲƱ, December 2012 (2011 – 2012)
Organiser of Pure Departmental Seminar, School of Mathematics & Statistics, ʹڲƱ (2010 – 2013)
Co-organiser of the Joint Colloquium, School of Mathematics and Statistics, ʹڲƱ (2010 – 2013)
Chair of the Publicity Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2014 – 2018)
Chair of the School Standing Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2014 – 2015)
School liaison for the ʹڲƱ MathSoc, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2012 – 2018)
Manager of Web and Social Media, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2017 – 2018)
Academic Mentor, ʹڲƱ (2019– )
Academic Advisor, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2010– )
First Responder, ʹڲƱ (2018– )
Member of the Education Excellence Committee, Science Faculty, ʹڲƱ (2018 –)
Member of the Hybrid Learning and Teaching Community of Practice, ʹڲƱ (2023 – )
Member of ʹڲƱ Student Wellbeing Community of Practice, ʹڲƱ (2022 –)
Member of ʹڲƱ Data Science Hub (uDASH), ʹڲƱ (2021 – 2024)
Member of the Sustainability Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2020 – 2023)
Member of the Computing Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2018 – 2018)
Member of the Research Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2015 – 2017)
Pure Representative on the Postgraduate Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2013 – 2017)
Member of the Policy and Resources Committee, MATH, ʹڲƱ (2014)
Lecturer's Representative for the School Standing Committee, ʹڲƱ (2011 – 2018)
Member of the (2018 – )
Life member of the (CMSA)
I also enjoy a range of outreach activities, to promote mathematical thinking, learning and enjoyment.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Research Grants
$525,115 total awarded by grants, including the following:
- Discovery Grant: T. Britz, "Chromatic polynomials, random graphs, and error-correcting codes: a unified approach to graph colouring problems”, $242,066, 2007–2009
- PIMS Postdoctoral Fellowship, 20,000CAD, 2003–2004
- Villum Kann Rasmussen Postdoctoral Fellowship, 350.000DKK (2004–2005)
- Carlsberg Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 350.000DKK, 2006
- , T. Britz,$25,000, 2013
- ʹڲƱ Light Digital Uplift of MATH3411: $15,000, 2019.
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Wellbeing, ʹڲƱ, 2021.
Science Dean's Award for Excellence in Student Wellbeing, ʹڲƱ, 2021.
Vice-Chancellor's Award for Contributions to Student Learning, ʹڲƱ, 2015.
I am interested in most areas of discrete mathematics and combinatorics. Most of my research has been so far in graph theory, matroid theory, coding theory, combinatorial polynomials, combinatorial matrix theory, design theory, partially ordered sets, matching theory, flow theory, and enumerative combinatorics. Most of my research is highly foundational and theoretical but I also enjoy applying combinatorial methods and results to other areas, so far including big data in medicine, bioinformatics, criminology, ecology, electrochemistry, energy-storage, law, linear algebra, oceanography, psycholinguistics, quantum mechanics and renewable energy. I also very much welcome the opportunity to solve tangible real-life problems and have consulted for a variety of companies and government.
If you have any problem that might benefit from some math- or problem-solving skills, then please email me!
My Research Supervision
Supervision:
PhD students:
Hopein Christofen Tang, ʹڲƱ, 2023–
John Fitzgerald, ʹڲƱ (joint supervision with Lyria Bennet Moses, ʹڲƱ Law, and Ben Hachey, USyd), 2015–
Zhi Yee Chng, ʹڲƱ (joint supervision with Tan Ta Sheng and Wong Kok Bin, University of Malaya), 2024
Adam Mammoliti, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Gabriel Nakhl, ʹڲƱ (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: ChrisGoodrich), 2025–
James Ross, ʹڲƱ (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2023
Haya Saeed Aldosari, ʹڲƱ (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2020
Vicki Likourezos, ʹڲƱ (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Slava Kalyuga, ʹڲƱ Arts), 2016-2017
Peter Ayre, ʹڲƱ (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2019
Ali Hussian Alkhaldi, ʹڲƱ (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Norman Wildberger), 2014
Master by Research students:
Nero Ziyu Li, ʹڲƱ, 2021
Sin Keong Tong, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Zhi Yee Chng, ʹڲƱ, 2017
Maria Fischer, ʹڲƱ, 2015
Marie-Louise Højlund Rasmussen, Technical University of Denmark, 2005
Honours students:
Paris Kastanias, ʹڲƱ, 2025–
Ronald Chiang, ʹڲƱ, 2025–
Yasiru Jayasooriya ʹڲƱ, 2025–
Christian Albina, ʹڲƱ, 2024–
Phillip Tzioumis, ʹڲƱ, 2024
Hayden McLean, ʹڲƱ, 2023
Zhan Wei, ʹڲƱ, 2023
Rickey Wu, ʹڲƱ, 2023
Edmond Gao, ʹڲƱ, 2021
Ryan Snoyman, ʹڲƱ, 2020
David Morris, ʹڲƱ, 2020
Michael Libman, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Nelson Chen, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Daniel Tanios, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Jessica Dai, ʹڲƱ, 2018
Tyson Churcher, ʹڲƱ, 2016
Duncan Crowley, ʹڲƱ, 2016
Adam Mammoliti, ʹڲƱ, 2014
Elizabeth Alford, ʹڲƱ, 2012
Master by Coursework students:
Demetra Siountris, ʹڲƱ, 2020
Xin Hu, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Salha Ahmed Alshaikey, ʹڲƱ, 2012
Dalal Alanazi, ʹڲƱ, 2012
Saad Althobaiti, ʹڲƱ, 2012
Doug Han Yang, ʹڲƱ, 2009
Ali Alkhaldi, ʹڲƱ, 2009
Research Course Project:
Jovana Kolar, ʹڲƱ, 2021
Abdellah Islam, ʹڲƱ, 2020
Iker Carrera, ʹڲƱ, 2020
James Ross, ʹڲƱ, 2014
AMSI Summer Research Project:
Ariana Liu, ʹڲƱ, 2023
Jovana Kolar, ʹڲƱ, 2022
Tiana Tsung Ung, ʹڲƱ, 2021
Summer Research Project:
Ryan Yang, ANU, 2024
Tiana Tsung Ung, ʹڲƱ, 2020
Abdellah Islam, ʹڲƱ, 2020
Charlie Stinson, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Zijian Gao, ʹڲƱ, 2019
Rui Tong, ʹڲƱ, 2018
Jacky Huang, ʹڲƱ, 2018
Gary Liang, ʹڲƱ, 2015
Adam Mammoliti, ʹڲƱ, 2014
Steve Sui, ʹڲƱ, 2013
Kirsten Vo-Phuoc, ʹڲƱ, 2012
Sen Lin, ʹڲƱ, 2011
My Teaching
I have designed, created and lectured the HDR/Honours courses
Aspects of Combinatorial Optimisation (at Kumamoto University, 2011)
Combinatorial Enumeration and Optimisation (AMSI Summer School 2012, with Prof. Ian Wanless).
An Introduction to Combinatorics (Aalto University, 2017)
MATH5505 - Combinatorics (ʹڲƱ 2016, 2018)
andwritten course material for, and lectured, the courses
MATH151 - Finite Mathematics (University of Victoria, BC, Canada)
MATH1031 - Mathematics for Life Sciences
MATH1081 - Discrete Mathematics
MATH1131 - Mathematics 1A
MATH1241 - Higher Mathematics 1B
MATH3411 - Information, Codes and Ciphers
MATH3521 - Algebraic Techniques in Number Theory
In total, I have lectured semester courses for 8,000 students.
I have also tutored numerous courses, for 2,000 students.
Here is quick access to some of my .