G. Peter Scott, Ph.D., professor of mathematics in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, retired from active faculty status on May 31, 2018.

Professor Scott received his B.A. (1965) degree from Oxford University and his M.Sc. (1966) and Ph.D. (1969) degrees from the University of Warwick. He served on the faculty of the University of Liverpool as an assistant lecturer (1968-69), lecturer (1969-80), senior lecturer (1980-84), and reader (1984-87). He joined the University of Michigan faculty as a professor in 1987.

Professor Scott studied geometric group theory as well as low-dimensional geometry and topology. In geometry and topology, he is best known for his fundamental research on three-dimensional manifolds, but his work also encompassed important contributions to the theory of Kleinian groups, differential geometry, and the study of minimal surfaces. In geometric group theory, he pioneered the study of subgroup separability and explored canonical splittings of groups, which are analogues of important topological decompositions of three-dimensional manifolds. He is widely regarded as a masterful expositor, who has written influential survey papers, most famously on the geometrization of three-manifolds and on the use of topological techniques in geometric group theory. He published 60 research papers with several co-authors. During his Michigan tenure, Professor Scott was very involved with the mathematics doctoral program. He supervised 21 Ph.D. students and was on the committees of many others. He served for a total of 11 years on three separate occasions as chair of the Doctoral Committee. This position supervised and monitored the academic progress of approximately 100 mathematics doctoral students. He was also director of graduate admissions for a year, reviewing and recruiting students for the mathematics Ph.D. program. Professor Scott has served on several other departmental committees, including terms on the Executive Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, and the Personnel Committee. Professor Scott was awarded the Berwick Prize by the London Mathematical Society in 1986. He was named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012.

The Regents now salute this distinguished scholar by naming G. Peter Scott, professor emeritus of mathematics.