Professor Emeritus Peter Scott passed away September 19, 2023, after a battle with cancer. A memorial service will take place Saturday, November 11, 2023, 1 pm, at 3333 S. Old US Hwy 23, Brighton, MI 48114, the CUUB building. 

Professor Scott was born in England to Bernard and Barbara Scott. His father was a successful mathematician who worked in Bletchley Park and his mother was a beloved poet and sculptor. After attending Oxford University for his BA in Mathematics, Professor Scott received his MSc and PhD from University of Warwick in 1969 under the direction of Brian Sanderson. He held ascending appointments at University of Liverpool from 1968 to 1987, receiving tenure in 1972, and was named Senior Lecturer in 1980, then Reader in 1984. He joined UM as Professor of Mathematics in 1987. In 1986, Professor Scott was awarded the Berwick Prize by the London Mathematical Society. In 2012, he was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He retired from active duty in 2018.

Professor Scott studied geometric group theory and 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 3-dimensional manifolds. He was regarded as a masterful expositor who wrote influential survey papers, most famously on the geometrization of 3-manifolds and on the use of topological techniques in geometric group theory. He published over 60 research papers with several co-authors.

During his UM tenure, Professor Scott was very involved with the Mathematics Doctoral program. He supervised 21 PhD 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. He was also Director of Graduate Admissions for a year, reviewing and recruiting students for the Mathematics PhD program. Professor Scott served on several other departmental committees, including terms on the Executive, Long Range Planning, and Personnel Committees.

Professor Scott had three children, Carol, Kathy, and David. He was known for an adventurous attitude and regularly sailed on the Norfolk Broads in England. Memorial donations may be made to the Mathematics Scholarship Fund in support of graduate students.