James Munkres

Bio

James Munkres served on the MIT Mathematics Faculty from 1960-2000, and continues as Senior Lecturer. He received the PhD in Mathematics from the University of Michigan under the supervision of Edwin Moise in 1956. He did his undergraduate education at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Following the doctorate, he taught at the University of Michigan and at Princeton University before coming to MIT.

Professor Munkres is a differential topologist, and is also responsible for the Munkres assignment algorithm. He authored numerous texts, including Topology (a well-known undergraduate course book), Analysis on Manifolds, Elements of Algebraic Topology, and Elementary Differential Topology. He also wrote Elementary Linear Algebra.

Professor Munkres' distinctions include the MIT School of Science Teaching Prize for Undergraduate Education in 1984, and an Honorary Doctorate from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1989.