W. B. R. Lickorish | |
|---|---|
 Lickorish in 1974 | |
| Born | 19 February 1938 (age 86) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Topology |
| Awards | Chauvenet Prize (1991) Senior Whitehead Prize (1991) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Doctoral advisor | Erik Christopher Zeeman |
| Doctoral students | Marc Lackenby |
William Bernard Raymond Lickorish (born 19 February 1938) is a mathematician. He is emeritus professor of geometric topology in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge, and also an emeritus fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. His research interests include topology and knot theory. He was one of the discoverers of the HOMFLY polynomial invariant of links, and proved the Lickorish-Wallace theorem which states that all closed orientable 3-manifolds can be obtained by Dehn surgery on a link.