Thomas P. Branson 1953-2006

WOLF, BRANSON

Posted By: michael (email)
Date: 3/14/2006 at 09:17:29

Thomas P. Branson, 52, of rural Oxford died suddenly Saturday, March 11, 2006 at UIHC.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 1:30 PM at St. Mary’s Church, Iowa City with Rev. Ken Kuntz officiating. Burial will be at a later date. The family will greet friends from 4 to 7 PM, Wednesday at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to an educational fund for his daughters, Sara and Eva.

Tom was born October 10, 1953 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the son of Gordon and Patricia (Wolf) Branson. On June 7, 1991 he married Susanne Hansen in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tom received his B.A. and M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. In 1979, he received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had taught at Purdue University from 1979-1985 and was an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa from 1985-90.

In 1990, he became a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Iowa, where his research interests include the spectral theory of partial differential operators, mathematical physics, differential geometry, analysis and representations of lie groups and automated symbolic computation.

His honors include the University Scholar and the Paul Cohen Prize, for outstanding graduating senior in Mathematics, from the University of Chicago and the Faculty Scholar Award from the University of Iowa.

Tom was a well-known mathematician with over 70 published scientific papers. His research interests spanned a large area of modern mathematical physics and differential geometry, and he made several important contributions to these subjects. He found new classes of wave equations analogous to those for zero-mass particles and made profound studies of their geometric properties; he introduced a new curvature invariant now important in quantum field theory, and he was a leading expert in calculating explicitly many other invariants associated with differential equations arising in physics and geometry.

Tom cherished the time spent with his wife, daughters and his siblings. He enjoyed running, working out, and making pancakes for Sara and Eva.

He is survived by, his wife Susanne; two daughters Sara and Eva; his six siblings,
Mary (Timothy) Konop, Bill (Kelly) Branson and Dick (Diane) Branson, all of
La Crosse, WI, Jim (Mary Woo) Branson of San Diego, CA., Pat (Nancy) Branson of
Appleton, WI, Mike (Milissa) Branson of Rochester,MN.; his mother-in-law, Lissie Hansen of Copenhagen, Denmark, sister-in-laws, Jane (Ivan) Jensen of Viby Sj., Denmark and Linda (Carl) Abrahamsen of Roskilde, Denmark and numerous nieces and nephews.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents and father-in-law.

Online condolences may be directed to www.lensingfuneral.com