Anthony Bloch wins prestigious mathematics award
- Wits Alumni Relations
Wits graduate reflects on the influences that shaped a career now recognised with the 2026 WT and Idalia Reid Prize.
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) selected Wits alumnus Professor Anthony Bloch (BSc 1977, BSc Hons 1978) as the recipient of the 2026 WT and Idalia Reid Prize.
Bloch, who is Alexander Ziwet Collegiate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Michigan, was recommended to receive the award “for his deep scientific contributions to geometric mechanics and control theory, particularly for nonholonomic dynamics and control.”
The prize is awarded annually to one individual for research in, or other contributions to, the broadly defined areas of differential equations and control theory.
Bloch will receive the award at the 2026 SIAM Annual Meeting, scheduled to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, United States from 6-10 July 2026, where he will deliver a lecture. He will also receive an engraved medal and cash prize of US $10 000.
Bloch completed his honours degree in applied mathematics and physics from Wits in 1978. He went on to obtain his master’s in physics from California Institute of Technology in 1979, an MPhil in control theory and operations research from Cambridge University in 1981, and a doctorate in applied mathematics from Harvard University in 1985.
He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society, a fellow of SIAM, and a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He has also been a senior fellow of the Michigan Society of Fellows, and he is a fellow of the International Core Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He has been a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, and his awards include a Presidential Young Investigator award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Simons Fellowship.
Lifelong fascination with mathematics
Bloch says that his fascination with mathematics and physics began early and has remained a defining feature of his life and work.
“My research involves applying mathematics to provide an understanding of the motion of physical systems and to control mechanical systems that arise in engineering. It includes controlling subatomic particles such as the qubits that are used in quantum computers, as well as studying the stability of planetary systems such as the exoplanets around stars.
“I work mainly on Classical Mechanics. For instance, I study the motion of particles and the movement of rigid bodies such as satellites and robots. I am particularly interested in the special subclass of "nonholonomic systems" where constraints on movement are imposed by wheels and blades. Examples include wheeled robots and motorcars, and gyrating figure skaters on ice.
He notes that the mathematics underpinning these systems extends the classical equations developed by scientists such as Joseph-Louis Lagrange and William Rowan Hamilton.
“I formulate mathematical equations that deal with the engineering problem of how to control these systems. Examples include getting robots to carry out prescribed tasks, and getting a satellite in space to point at a specific star without wobbling.”
It all started with books
Bloch traces many of his intellectual interests to books he read while growing up.
“Reading various books and stories sparked my interest in mathematics and physics. I found Bertrand Russell's autobiography inspiring; in particular, his account of how difficult it was to develop the theory in Principia Mathematica.
“My interest was also piqued by the story of Évariste Galois. Before dying from a duel at the age of 20, he developed the theory of polynomial roots and linked this to group theory and symmetry. Symmetry plays a large role in my current research.”
He adds that Euclidean geometry was his favourite subject at school, and that early inspirations included physicists such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.
“I have always loved everything to do with space. I collected all the newspaper articles about the Apollo missions, and I had my own 4-inch reflector telescope.”
Memories of Wits
Bloch recalls many “wonderful memories” of his time at Wits, closely associated with rigorous learning and inspiring lecturers – from studying calculus and linear algebra with Kathryn Goodson and Carol Kitai (BSc 1971, BSc Hons 1972), to classical mechanics with David Mason; solid-state physics, particularly crystals, with Frank Nabarro (DSc honoris causa 1987); nuclear physics with Friedel Sellschop; and modelling biological and physical systems with Tony Starfield (BSc 1962, BSc Hons 1963, PhD 1965), whose book he still owns.
Bloch also recalls “visiting the planetarium (now the Wits Anglo American Digidome) and looking at clusters of stars through a telescope”, an experience that set him on the path towards his current research in astrophysics with a colleague at the University of Michigan.
He is also proud of having acted “as an aide to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Frank Nabarro” during the early formulation of a plan that would ultimately enable broader access to the Wits for all South Africans. And, he adds, “last but not least”, he fondly remembers speaking for the very first time to the woman who would later become his wife, on the steps of the Great Hall.