Bernard de Neumann

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Frederick Bernard de Neumann (15 December 1943–) is a British mathematician, computer scientist, inventor, and naval historian. In Austria and Germany he is known as Bernhard von Neumann.[1]

Educated at The Royal Hospital School, and Birmingham University. Author of several papers, reports and books. Formerly Professor of Mathematics at The City University, London, and Chief Mathematician in the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency of the UK Ministry of Defence. Awarded U.S. patent #4,393,515 on July 12, 1983, covering a parallel-processing architecture that utilizes on-chip RF transmitters and receivers for inter-processor communication.^[2]

His father who was awarded a George Medal and a Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea, was known as "The Man from Timbuctoo" as he had been a prisoner there during WW2.

During his career he worked for Marconi Research, GEC Research, and consulted for NASA, ESA, NATO, RTZ, MOD (RN, Army and RAF), RARDE, RSRE, ASWE, AUWE, RAE; and as a visiting lecturer at several universities. He then joined the staff of The City University. He is a member of the Court of Essex University. He also served on the Council of the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications.

Some of his mathematical work helped to make it possible to receive imagery from deep space missions, like from the Viking Landers 1 & 2 that transmitted the first colour pictures back from the surface of Mars. This same work also helped improve FM radio receivers and facilitated their miniaturization. He also invented and patented a self-configuring multi-processor computer, that included ideas used for the technology used in contactless smart cards, RF identification tagging chips, subcutaneous micro-electronic chips (eg pet identification) and industrial control and social monitoring, etc. Adaptions of it also has application in certain kinds of Information Warfare. In his published work (books and papers) he has used both the "de" and "von" forms of the name depending on the country in which they first appeared.

Many people mistakenly think that he was at Bletchley Park during the war - but he wasn't born until the end of 1943! However he did know quite a few of the mathematicians/engineers involved: Max Newman, Jack Good, Donald Michie, Tommy Flowers, "Doc" Coombs, Hugh Skillen, ....

Neumann solved some of the "mysteries" often cited in books about the so-called Bermuda Triangle. He also discovered that during WW1 Karl Dönitz nearly lost his life when the U-boat (U-39), aboard which he was the First Watch Officer, was rammed and rolled over by ss Ryton on 5 August 1917. Ryton sank quickly as she was carrying iron ore, but Dönitz's boat, badly damaged, limped back to base at Cattaro for repairs. How differently WW2 may have evolved had Dönitz not been available to head the German Navy!

A portrait of Neumann entitled "Professor Bernard de Neumann - The Mathematician" by John Wonnacott, CBE, won the 2005 Ondaatje Prize of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. Consequently, as a professional mathematician, he is also a "mathematical model", being, somewhat uniquely, a living breathing example rather than an idealised representation!