Reese Trego Prosser (May 18, 1927 in Minneapolis - 15 June 1996) was an American mathematician.
He studied at Harvard University (A.B., 1949) and University of California at Berkeley under John L. Kelley (Ph.D. on the thesis Structure of Operator algebras, 1955),[1] while working as numerical analyst at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (1953-55). He then joined Duke University (instructor, 1955-56) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (instructor, 1956). He also worked at Lincoln Laboratory (1958-66), among others contributing an early study on routing in packet switching computer networks,[2] before becoming associate professor of mathematics at Dartmouth College (1966) and professor (1969). After a brief stay at Harvard University (research associate, 1973), he was at University of California (1974-) until his retirement.[3]
Prosser was also a cellist and sailing devotee. The mathematics department at Dartmouth College opened the Prosser Memorial Lectures in 2002.