I was brought up in the Bristol area, and did a first degree in mathematics and a D.Phil. in Geometry at Merton College, Oxford, supervised by Professor Simon Donaldson, finishing in 1992.  After this I held short-term research posts at Christ Church College, Oxford, and in Princeton and Berkeley in the US. From 1995 until 2006 I was a University Lecturer in Mathematics at Oxford, and Tutorial Fellow in Mathematics at Lincoln College. I also held an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship from 2001 until 2006, which bought out my university and college teaching duties, so that I could concentrate on research.

In October 2006 I took up my present job, which is functionally but not ontologically a professorship in the Mathematical Institute. That is, I have the job of a real professor, but not the existence or substance of one (in Platonic terms, the "chair"). This is a very Oxford arrangement, and will be fine unless I have an identity crisis.

In April 2012 I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Here is an apple pie my wife Jayne baked for the occasion.

My wife Jayne and I have three daughters, Tilly, born in August 2000, Kitty, born in July 2003, and Daisy, born in February 2008. We live in North Oxford and attend St Andrew's church. Tilly's hobbies are ballet, art, books about fairies, and talking to stuffed mice. Kitty's hobbies are chattering, books about fairies, theological research, and pasta. Daisy's hobbies are shrieking, weapons research, and throwing things (usually books about fairies) down the toilet. She likes to sing her own compositions, including 'Happy birthday my head'. Jayne's hobby is running a politically subversive breastfeeding organization. My one remaining hobby, which unfortunately I have very little time for these days, is to be allowed to go into work and do some mathematics. I despise books about fairies.