Scott Rickard

Why you should listen

Scott Rickard is a professor at University College Dublin. His interest in both music and math led him to try and solve an interesting math problem: a musical score with no pattern. He has degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering from MIT, and MA and PhD degrees in Applied and Computational Mathematics from Princeton.

At University College Dublin, he founded the Complex & Adaptive Systems Laboratory, where biologists, geologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, social scientists and economists work on problems that matter to people. He is also the founder of ScienceWithMe!, an online community dedicated to engaging youth through science and math.

What others say

“Using the work of mathematician Évariste Galois and a concept known as Golomb Rulers, Rickard created a piece specifically for the piano that is, admittedly, very hard on the ears. If you want to forego the technical stuff just skip ahead to the 7:38 mark in the video, turn up your speakers and prepare to have your roommates or neighbors come banging on your door. Um, thanks, Scott?” — Gizmodo