Prof Stephen Linton
Professor
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 3269
- sl4@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Office
- C0.23
- Location
- Jack Cole Building (Computer Science )
Research areas
My background is in formal pure mathematics, with a great deal of computer experience. My research covers the application of computers to problems, in abstract algebra, I work on developing general algorithms such as vector numeration, on applying known algorithms and mathematical ingenuity to solve specific large problems such as finding the maximal subgroups of very large sporadic groups, and on the development of the GAP (groups, algorithms and programming) system.
For a mathematician, I am very practically minded. I have little interest in developing algorithms in the abstract without attempting to implement them and I write programs to produce the best possible performance rather than simply to demonstrate the algorithms
I am Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Computational Algebra (CIRCA) at the University of St Andrews. The Centre undertakes mathematical research with computer assistance, develops new techniques for computation in abstract algebra and develops and distributes software implementing these techniques. The Centre also organises conferences, seminars and training courses and coordinates the international efforts to develop maintain and promote the GAP (groups, algorithms and programming) software package.
Selected publications
-
Open access
Polynomial-time proofs that groups are hyperbolic
Holt, D., Linton, S., Neunhoeffer, M., Parker, R., Pfeiffer, M. & Roney-Dougal, C. M., May 2021, In: Journal of Symbolic Computation. 104, p. 419-475Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Open access
HPC-GAP: engineering a 21st-century High-Performance Computer algebra system
Behrends, R., Hammond, K., Janjic, V., Konovalov, A., Linton, S. A., Loidl, H.-W., Maier, P. & Trinder, P., 10 Sept 2016, In: Concurrency and Computation : Practice and Experience. 28, 13, p. 3606-3636 31 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Open access
Identifying long cycles in finite alternating and symmetric groups acting on subsets
Linton, S. A., Niemeyer, A. C. & Praeger, C. E., May 2015, In: Journal of Algebra Combinatorics Discrete Structures and Applications. 2, 2, p. 117-149Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Open access
S-crucial and bicrucial permutations with respect to squares
Gent, I., Kitaev, S., Konovalov, A., Linton, S. & Nightingale, P., 3 Jun 2015, In: Journal of Integer Sequences. 18, 6, 22 p., 15.6.5.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Open access
Generating custom propagators for arbitrary constraints
Gent, I. P., Jefferson, C., Linton, S., Miguel, I. & Nightingale, P., Jun 2014, In: Artificial Intelligence. 211, p. 1-33 33 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Open access
Qualitative modelling via constraint programming
Kelsey, T., Kotthoff, L., Jefferson, C. A., Linton, S. A., Miguel, I. J., Nightingale, P. & Gent, I. P., Apr 2014, In: Constraints. 19, 2, p. 163-173Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Towards the calculation of Casimir forces for inhomogeneous planar media
Xiong, C., Kelsey, T., Linton, S. A. & Leonhardt, U., 1 Oct 2014, Computer Mathematics: 9th Asian Symposium (ASCM2009), Fukuoka, December 2009, 10th Asian Symposium (ASCM2012), Beijing, October 2012, Contributed Papers and Invited Talks. Feng, R., Lee, W.-S. & Sato, Y. (eds.). Springer, p. 171-180Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
-
Algorithmic Generalisations of Small Cancellation Theory
Neunhoeffer, M., Roney-Dougal, C. M., Linton, S. A., Parker, R. & Burdges, J. P., 2013, (In preparation) In: Not yet known.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Open access
Casimir forces for inhomogeneous planar media
Xiong, C., Kelsey, T., Linton, S. A. & Leonhardt, U., 25 Jan 2013, Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 1 ed. Vol. 401. 6 p. (Journal of Physics: Conference Series; vol. 410, no. 1).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
-
Easy Composition of Symbolic Computation Software using SCSCP: A New Lingua Franca for Symbolic Computation
Linton, S. A., Hammond, K., Konovalov, A., Brown, C. M., Trinder, P. W., Loidl, H.-W., Horn, P. & Roozemond, D., Feb 2013, In: Journal of Symbolic Computation. 49, p. 95-119 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review