Marcus du Sautoy
Marcus du Sautoy is an Oxford mathematician, author and broadcaster who finds the maths inside music, art, games and everyday life.
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Marcus’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Basic Books
Fourth EstateOverview
- Work
- Mathematician, author, broadcaster and playwright
- Based at
- University of Oxford; Fellow of New College
- Research
- Symmetry and number theory
- Public breakthrough
- The Music of the Primes (2003), followed by the 2006 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and The Story of Maths (2008)
- Oxford chair
- Appointed Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science in 2008
Mini bio
How it started.
Marcus traces his love of maths to a schoolteacher who introduced him to its bigger stories, beyond classroom calculations. At 13, he watched Christopher Zeeman’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 1978 and imagined doing that job himself. In 2006, he returned to deliver the lectures.
Taking maths outside the classroom.
His first book, The Music of the Primes, appeared in 2003. Books and television became ways to share the people and ideas behind mathematics, including the BBC series The Story of Maths in 2008 and The Code in 2011. In 2008 he became Oxford’s Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science.
Following the patterns.
His research explores symmetry using tools from number theory. His public work follows that fascination into other worlds: The Creativity Code asks what AI can create, Around the World in 80 Games explores how people play, and Blueprints looks for mathematical structures in the arts. He also writes theatre, including The Axiom of Choice.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2025Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes CreativityAuthor
- 2023Around the World in 80 GamesAuthor
- 2019The Creativity CodeAuthor
- 2003The Music of the PrimesAuthor
Television
- 2013Precision: The Measure of All ThingsPresenter
- 2011The CodePresenter
- 2008The Story of MathsPresenter
Theatre
- 2024The Axiom of ChoiceWriter and co-director
Awards
- Fellow of the Royal SocietyElected in 2016.
- Christopher Zeeman MedalReceived in 2014 for communicating mathematics.
- OBEAwarded in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to science.
- Michael Faraday PrizeRoyal Society award for science communication, 2009.
- Berwick PrizeLondon Mathematical Society award for mathematical research, 2001.
Quotes
The first thing I do in the morning is reach for a novel rather than my mobile phone.Marcus du Sautoy, The Booker Prizes
In a February 2026 interview, he explained how judging the International Booker Prize had changed his reading habits.
Trivia
- He plays the trumpet and has belonged to an experimental theatre group.
- He created codes for Lauren Child’s Ruby Redfort mystery books.
- Tove Jansson’s Moomintroll books helped him fall in love with reading; Snufkin is his favourite character.
Find Marcus
Follow Marcus for books, talks and the maths behind creative life.
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