David Spence (mathematician)

Spence, the son of a lawyer, was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 3 January 1926. He was educated at King’s College, Auckland and the University of Auckland, from which he graduated with a both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science. He then moved to England where he undertook research in Engineering at Clare College, Cambridge. He was awarded his Doctorate in 1952.[2][3][4]

After completing his doctorate, Spence took up employment at The Royal Aircraft Establishment, where he undertook research relating to the design of aircraft wings. His paper, 'The lift coefficient of a thin, jet-flapped wing', his most significant work of the period, appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, in 1956.[2] He also studied the propagation of shock waves, specifically how such waves are weakened by viscosity, which is of particular relevance to supersonic flight.[4]

In 1964, Spence left Farnborough to take up the position at the Engineering Department of the University of Oxford, becoming a Fellow of Lincoln.[4] He remained at Oxford for about twenty years, applying his mathematical techniques to a range of topics, including the compression of solids. This latter work enabled him to apply his skills to the study of magma flow beneath the earth's surface, and how it behaves in the presence of fractures, thereby obtaining a better understanding of volcanic eruptions.[2][4]

Spence's final years were spent as Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College, London, where he taught mathematics to engineering and science students. He continued his research across a range of disciplines, one of which involved the use of injected water to enhance oil recovery from a well - important for energy conservation of depleting reserves in areas such as the North Sea. His research interests were energised by his many visits to universities in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.[4]

In 1991, at the age of 65 years, Spence retired from his chair at Imperial College, London.[2] His intellectual interest in mathematics and science, expanded to include political history and the law.[4]

David Allan Spence died in Headington, Oxford, on 7 September 2003, aged 77. He was survived by his wife, Isobel and their two sons and two daughters.[4][2]

A friend, eminent New Zealand judge Baron Cooke of Thorndon, described Spence as perceptive and analytical of human motivation to an extent bordering on cynicism. While deeply respectful of significant achievement in any walk of life he nevertheless had an "attitude towards authority markedly less than reverential - which may at times have hindered his career". [3]

Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and was a member of the London Mathematical Society.[4]