We often take for granted that planets, shaped by the force of gravity, are spherical. However, a closer look reveals that the Earth is not a perfect sphere—it is slightly squashed. But is it squashed like a pumpkin or more like a peanut? And is the sphere truly the only possible shape for a planet? As planets grow larger and must sustain increasingly extreme forces, can we still assume they maintain a spherical shape? These seemingly simple questions have fascinated scientists and mathematicians since the time of Newton, giving rise to profound mathematical theories that deepen our understanding of the universe.

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This event was on Tue, 03 Mar 2026

Professor Alain Goriely FRS

Gresham Professor of Geometry (2024 – )

Alain Goriely is a mathematician with broad interests in mathematical methods, mechanics, sciences, and engineering. He is well known for his contributions to dynamical systems, mathematical biology, as well as fundamental and applied mechanics. He is particularly well known for the development of a mathematical theory of biological growth, culminating with his seminal monograph The Mathematics on Mechanics of Biological Growth (2017).

He received his PhD from the University of Brussels in 1994 where he became a lecturer. In 1996, he joined the University of Arizona where he established a research group within the renowned Program of Applied Mathematics. In 2010, he joined the University of Oxford as the inaugural Statutory Professor of Mathematical Modelling and fellow of St. Catherine’s College. He is currently the Director of the Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

In addition, Alain has enjoyed scientific outreach based on problems connected to his research, including tendril perversion in plants, twining plants, umbilical cord knotting, whip cracking, the shape of seashells, brain modelling, and he is the author of a Very Short Introduction to Applied Mathematics (2017). His work has been recognized by a Sloan Fellowship, a Royal Society Wolfson Research Award, the Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences and the Engineering Medal from the Society of Engineering Sciences. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Goriely

https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/people/alain.goriely

http://goriely.com/

https://royalsociety.org/people/alain-goriely-13576