Rate My Professor Michael Albert

Michael Albert is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Computing at the University of Otago, where he served for 27 years until his retirement in December 2024. Holding a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Oxford, obtained in 1984 as a Rhodes Scholar, Albert's academic career at Otago began in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics before he transferred to the Department of Computer Science in December 2000, becoming Professor of Computer Science. He held the position of Head of Department for seven years and continued his contributions following the department's amalgamation into the School of Computing in 2023. His background is rooted in mathematics, particularly algebra, combinatorics, and logic, which intersect with theoretical computer science, computability, and data manipulation.

Albert's research focuses on combinatorics, with expertise in algorithms for counting, sampling, or manipulating combinatorial objects; the use of computing in problem-solving; and combinatorial games. He invented the impartial combinatorial game Clobber, co-founded the Permutation Patterns conference series, and developed tools like PermLab for permutation pattern research. Key publications include 'Combinatorial Exploration: An Algorithmic Framework for Enumeration' (2026, Memoirs of the American Mathematical Society, with C. Bean et al.), 'A Logical Limit Law for 231-Avoiding Permutations' (2024, Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science, with others), 'Collatz Meets Fibonacci' (2022, Mathematics Magazine), 'Two Examples of Wilf-Collapse' (2021, Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science), and 'Prolific Permutations' (2021, Electronic Journal of Combinatorics, with M. Tannock). Earlier works encompass 'Lessons in Play: An Introduction to Combinatorial Game Theory' (2007, with R.J. Nowakowski and D. Wolfe), 'Permutations Generated by Stacks and Deques' (2010, Annals of Combinatorics), and numerous papers on permutation classes and patterns. Albert has taught courses on programming, theory of computing, combinatorial game theory, and complexity. He serves as co-editor-in-chief of the Australasian Journal of Combinatorics and has been involved in New Zealand mathematical competitions, including as secretary of the New Zealand Mathematical Olympiad Committee.