Hilda Hudson (1881-1965): A Very Expert Mathematician
Speaker at London Mathematical Society
An in-depth Hirst Lecture exploring the mathematical contributions and academic career of Hilda Hudson, a pioneering geometer and early contributor to mathematical epidemiology.
Abstract: Ranked equivalent to the seventh wrangler in the 1903 Cambridge Mathematical Tripos, Hilda Hudson was born into a family rich in mathematical talent. Her father was third in the 1861 Tripos, and her brother surpassed them both as senior wrangler in 1898, while Hudson herself outperformed her sister, who ranked eighth in 1900. Pursuing an academic career, Hudson went on to study in Berlin and Bryn Mawr. A geometer by inclination, she specialised in Cremona transformations, but her talents extended beyond pure mathematics: she was a pioneer in mathematical epidemiology and made significant contributions to aeronautics during the First World War. Among the most accomplished and prominent female mathematicians of her generation, she was the first woman to deliver a talk at an International Congress of Mathematicians (1912) and the first woman to serve on the Council of the London Mathematical Society (1917). A scholar of “high ideals and standards”, Hudson was a woman whose achievements deserve greater recognition today.
This was the 2026 Hirst Lecture and was part of the LMS Spitalfields History of Mathematics Meeting and Hirst Lecture 2026, which took place at De Morgan House, London on Friday 17 April 2026 and online via Zoom.