Alison Harcourt

Alison Harcourt
Alison Doig in 1965
Born
Alison Grant Doig

(1929-11-24) 24 November 1929 (age 95)
Colac, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
Known forBranch and bound algorithm
SpouseRichard Harcourt
Scientific career
FieldsStatistics, linear programming
InstitutionsLondon School of Economics
University of Melbourne

Alison Grant Harcourt AO (née Doig; born 24 November 1929)[1] is an Australian mathematician and statistician most well-known for co-defining the branch and bound algorithm along with Ailsa Land whilst carrying out research at the London School of Economics.[2][3][4] She was also part of the team which developed a poverty line as part of the Henderson Inquiry into poverty in Australia and helped to introduce the double randomisation method of ordering candidates used in Australian elections.[3][5]

  1. ^ "Alison Grant Harcourt" (PDF). Graduate Women Victoria. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  2. ^ "'I've always loved numbers': Meet the ground-breaking grandmother of Australian mathematics". ABC News. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "88 Year Old Statistics Pioneer Says Some Barriers For Women In STEM 'Haven't Changed Since The 60's'". Gizmodo Australia. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Staff News". London School of Economics. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  5. ^ Cashin, Kasey (24 October 2018). "Alison Harcourt receives Doctor of Science (honoris causa)". School of Mathematics and Statistics. Retrieved 22 March 2019.