Dr Thomas Britz | UNSW Research

My Expertise

Mathematics; Pure Mathematics; Discrete Mathematics; Graph Theory; Combinatorics; Applied Mathematics; Mathematical Education; Editor of outreach journal Parabola

Fields of Research (FoR)

Combinatorics and discrete mathematics (excl. physical combinatorics), Coding, information theory and compression, Applied mathematics

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Expanding Knowledge in the Mathematical Sciences

Education and Training

Biography

I am part of the Combinatorics Research Group at the School of Mathematics and Statistics here at UNSW Sydney.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SERVICE POSITIONS

Council Member of the Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia (CMSA) (December 2024 – )
President of the Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia (CMSA) (December 2021 – 2024)
Friend of the Australian Council of Heads of Mathematical Sciences (December 2021 –...view more

I am part of the Combinatorics Research Group at the School of Mathematics and Statistics here at UNSW Sydney.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SERVICE POSITIONS

Chief Editor of Parabola (November 2015 –)
Managing Editor for the Australasian Journal of Combinatorics (August 2011 – )
Area Editor for the Journal of Algebra, Combinatorics, Discrete Structures and its Applications (April 2014 –October 2023)
Referee for 61 journals and 2 conference proceedings (> 175 reports)
Reviewer for Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt MATH (> 250 reviews)
Grant proposal assessor for ARC DP, NISDRG, FRP, Vidi (32 reports)
PhD Opponent/Assessor (2 times)

Member of the Education Excellence Committee, Science Faculty, UNSW (March 2018 – )
Member of the Hybrid Learning and Teaching Community of Practice, UNSW (May 2023 – )
Member of UNSW Student Wellbeing Community of Practice, UNSW (January 2022 – )
Academic Mentor, UNSW (2019 – )
First Responder, UNSW (July 2018 – )
Academic Advisor, MATH, UNSW (August 2010 – )

Member of UNSW Data Science Hub (uDASH), UNSW (August 2021 – 2024)
Member of the Sustainability Committee, MATH, UNSW (February 2020 – 2023)
Co-organiser of the 42th Australasian Conference on Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, UNSW, December 2019 (March 2018 – December 2019)
School liaison for the UNSW MathSoc, MATH, UNSW (Jan 2012 – 2018)
Chair of the Publicity Committee, MATH, UNSW (July 2014 – September 2018)
Lecturer's Representative for the School Standing Committee, UNSW (June 2011 – 2018)
Manager of Web and Social Media, MATH, UNSW (November 2017 – August 2018)
Member of the Computing Committee, MATH, UNSW (February 2018 – August 2018)
Member of the Research Committee, MATH, UNSW (October 2015 – July 2017)
Pure Representative on the Postgraduate Committee, MATH, UNSW (September 2013 – September 2017)
Chair of the School Standing Committee, MATH, UNSW (February 2014 – April 2015)
Member of the Policy and Resources Committee, MATH, UNSW (February – December 2014)
Organiser of Pure Departmental Seminar, School of Mathematics & Statistics, UNSW (Aug 2010 – Jan 2013)
Co-organiser of the Joint Colloquium, School of Mathematics and Statistics, UNSW (Aug 2010 – Jan 2013)
Co-organiser of the 36th Australasian Conference on Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing, UNSW, December 2012 (March 2011 – December 2012)

Member of the Australian Mathematical Society (August 2018 – )
Life member of the Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia (CMSA)

I also enjoy a range of outreach activities, to promote mathematical thinking, learning and enjoyment.

My Grants

Research Grants

$525,115 total awarded by grants, including the following:

ARC Discovery Grant: T. Britz, "Chromatic polynomials, random graphs, and error-correcting codes: a unified approach to graph colouring problems”, $242,066, 2007–2009
PIMS Postdoctoral Fellowship, 20,000CAD, 2003–2004
Villum Kann Rasmussen Postdoctoral Fellowship, 350.000DKK (2004–2005)
Carlsberg Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 350.000DKK, 2006
UNSW Faculty of Science Silverstar Award, T. Britz, $25,000, 2013
UNSW Light Digital Uplift of MATH3411: $15,000, 2019.

My Qualifications

Education

PhD in Mathematics (Aarhus University, 2003)

My Awards

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Wellbeing, UNSW, 2021.

Science Dean's Award for Excellence in Student Wellbeing, UNSW, 2021.

Vice-Chancellor's Award for Contributions to Student Learning, UNSW, 2015.

My Research Activities

I am interested in most areas of discrete mathematics and combinatorics. Most of my research has been so far in graph theory, matroid theory, coding theory, combinatorial polynomials, combinatorial matrix theory, design theory, partially ordered sets, matching theory, flow theory, and enumerative combinatorics. Most of my research is highly foundational and theoretical but I also enjoy applying combinatorial methods and results to other areas, so far including big data in medicine, bioinformatics, criminology, ecology, electrochemistry, energy-storage, law, linear algebra, oceanography, psycholinguistics, quantum mechanics and renewable energy. I also very much welcome the opportunity to solve tangible real-life problems and have consulted for a variety of companies and government.
If you have any problem that might benefit from some math- or problem-solving skills, then please email me!

My Research Supervision

Currently supervising

Supervision:

PhD students:
Gabriel Nakhl, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Chris Goodrich), 2025–
Hopein Christofen Tang, UNSW, 2023–
John Fitzgerald, UNSW (joint supervision with Lyria Bennet Moses, UNSW Law, and Ben Hachey, USyd), 2015–
Zhi Yee Chng, UNSW (joint supervision with Tan Ta Sheng and Wong Kok Bin, University of Malaya), 2024
Adam Mammoliti, UNSW, 2019
James Ross, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2023
Haya Saeed Aldosari, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2020
Vicki Likourezos, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Slava Kalyuga, UNSW Arts), 2016-2017
Peter Ayre, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2019
Ali Hussian Alkhaldi, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Norman Wildberger), 2014

Master by Research students:
Nero Ziyu Li, UNSW, 2021
Sin Keong Tong, UNSW, 2019
Zhi Yee Chng, UNSW, 2017
Maria Fischer, UNSW, 2015
Marie-Louise Hoejlund Rasmussen, Technical University of Denmark, 2005

Honours students:
Paris Kastanias, UNSW, 2025–
  Isaiah Ilyffe, UNSW, 2025–
  Ronald Chiang, UNSW, 2025–
  Yasiru Jayasooriya UNSW, 2025–
Christian Albina, UNSW, 2024–
Phillip Tzioumis, UNSW, 2024
Hayden McLean, UNSW, 2023
Zhan Wei, UNSW, 2023
Rickey Wu, UNSW, 2023
Edmond Gao, UNSW, 2021
Ryan Snoyman, UNSW, 2020
David Morris, UNSW, 2020
Michael Libman, UNSW, 2019
Nelson Chen, UNSW, 2019
Daniel Tanios, UNSW, 2019
Jessica Dai, UNSW, 2018
Tyson Churcher, UNSW, 2016
Duncan Crowley, UNSW, 2016
Adam Mammoliti, UNSW, 2014
Elizabeth Alford, UNSW, 2012

Master by Coursework students:
Demetra Siountris, UNSW, 2020
Xin Hu, UNSW, 2019
Salha Ahmed Alshaikey, UNSW, 2012
Dalal Alanazi, UNSW, 2012
Saad Althobaiti, UNSW, 2012
Doug Han Yang, UNSW, 2009
Ali Alkhaldi, UNSW, 2009

Research Course Project:
Jovana Kolar, UNSW, 2021
Abdellah Islam, UNSW, 2020
Iker Carrera, UNSW, 2020
James Ross, UNSW, 2014

AMSI Summer Research Project:
Ariana Liu, UNSW, 2023
Jovana Kolar, UNSW, 2022
Tiana Tsung Ung, UNSW, 2021

Summer Research Project:
Ryan Yang, ANU, 2024
Tiana Tsung Ung, UNSW, 2020
Abdellah Islam, UNSW, 2020
Charlie Stinson, UNSW, 2019
Zijian Gao, UNSW, 2019
Rui Tong, UNSW, 2018
Jacky Huang, UNSW, 2018
Gary Liang, UNSW, 2015
Adam Mammoliti, UNSW, 2014
Steve Sui, UNSW, 2013
Kirsten Vo-Phuoc, UNSW, 2012
Sen Lin, UNSW, 2011

My Teaching

I have designed, created and lectured the HDR/Honours courses

Aspects of Combinatorial Optimisation (at Kumamoto University, 2011)
Combinatorial Enumeration and Optimisation (AMSI Summer School 2012, with Prof. Ian Wanless).
MATH5505 - Combinatorics (UNSW 2016, 2018)
An Introduction to Combinatorics (Aalto University, 2017)

and written course material for, and lectured, the courses

MATH151 - Finite Mathematics (University of Victoria, BC, Canada)
MATH1081 - Discrete Mathematics
MATH1131 - Mathematics 1A
MATH1241 - Higher Mathematics 1B
MATH3411 - Information, Codes and Ciphers
MATH3521 - Algebraic Techniques in Number Theory

In total, I have lectured semester courses for 8,000 students.
I have also tutored numerous courses, for 2,000 students.

Here is quick access to some of my maths teaching and outreach videos.

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