Dr Thomas Britz

Dr Thomas Britz

Senior Lecturer

Education

Science
School of Mathematics & Statistics

I am part of the Combinatorics Research Group, opens in a new window at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, opens in a new window here at UNSW Sydney.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SERVICE POSITIONS

Council Member of the Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia (CMSA) (2024 – )
President of the Combinatorial Mathematics Society of Australasia (CMSA) (2021 – 2024)
Friend of the Australian Council of Heads of Mathematical Sciences (2021 – 2024)

Chief Editor of Parabola, opens in a new window (2015 –)
Managing Editor for the Australasian Journa..., opens in a new window

Phone
9385 7115
E-mail
britz@unsw.edu.au
Location
Room RC-5111, School of Mathematics and Statistics Anita B. Lawrence Centre UNSW Sydney Sydney NSW 2052

Research Grants

$525,115 total awarded by grants, including the following:

  • ARC, opens in a new window Discovery Grant: T. Britz, "Chromatic polynomials, random graphs, and error-correcting codes: a unified approach to graph colouring problems”, $242,066, 2007–2009
  • PIMS Postdoctoral Fellowship, 20,000CAD, 2003–2004
  • Villum Kann Rasmussen Postdoctoral Fellowship, 350.000DKK (2004–2005)
  • Carlsberg Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 350.000DKK, 2006
  • UNSW Faculty of Science Silverstar Award, opens in a new window, T. Britz, $25,000, 2013
  • UNSW Light Digital Uplift of MATH3411: $15,000, 2019.

Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Wellbeing, UNSW, 2021.
Science Dean's Award for Excellence in Student Wellbeing, UNSW, 2021.
Vice-Chancellor's Award for Contributions to Student Learning, UNSW, 2015.

I am interested in most areas of discrete mathematics and combinatorics. Most of my research has been so far in graph theory, matroid theory, coding theory, combinatorial polynomials, combinatorial matrix theory, design theory, partially ordered sets, matching theory, flow theory, and enumerative combinatorics. Most of my research is highly foundational and theoretical but I also enjoy applying combinatorial methods and results to other areas, so far including big data in medicine, bioinformatics, criminology, ecology, electrochemistry, energy-storage, law, linear algebra, oceanography, psycholinguistics, quantum mechanics and renewable energy. I also very much welcome the opportunity to solve tangible real-life problems and have consulted for a variety of companies and government.
If you have any problem that might benefit from some math- or problem-solving skills, then please email, opens in a new window me!

My Research Supervision

Supervision:

PhD students:
  Hopein Christofen Tang, UNSW, 2023–
  John Fitzgerald, UNSW (joint supervision with Lyria Bennet Moses, UNSW Law, and Ben Hachey, USyd), 2015–
  Zhi Yee Chng, UNSW (joint supervision with Tan Ta Sheng and Wong Kok Bin, University of Malaya), 2024
  Adam Mammoliti, UNSW, 2019
  Gabriel Nakhl, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Chris Goodrich), 2025–
  James Ross, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2023
  Haya Saeed Aldosari, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Catherine Greenhill), 2020
  Vicki Likourezos, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor: Slava Kalyuga, UNSW Arts), 2016-2017
  Peter Ayre, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor:  Catherine Greenhill), 2019
  Ali Hussian Alkhaldi, UNSW (secondary supervisor; primary supervisor:  Norman Wildberger), 2014
 
Master by Research students:
  Nero Ziyu Li, UNSW, 2021
  Sin Keong Tong, UNSW, 2019
  Zhi Yee Chng, UNSW, 2017
  Maria Fischer, UNSW, 2015
  Marie-Louise Højlund Rasmussen, Technical University of Denmark, 2005

Honours students:
  Paris Kastanias, UNSW, 2025–
  Ronald Chiang, UNSW, 2025–
  Yasiru Jayasooriya UNSW, 2025–
  Christian Albina, UNSW, 2024–
  Phillip Tzioumis, UNSW, 2024
  Hayden McLean, UNSW, 2023
  Zhan Wei, UNSW, 2023
  Rickey Wu, UNSW, 2023
  Edmond Gao, UNSW, 2021
  Ryan Snoyman, UNSW, 2020
  David Morris, UNSW, 2020
  Michael Libman, UNSW, 2019
  Nelson Chen, UNSW, 2019
  Daniel Tanios, UNSW, 2019
  Jessica Dai, UNSW, 2018
  Tyson Churcher, UNSW, 2016
  Duncan Crowley, UNSW, 2016
  Adam Mammoliti, UNSW, 2014
  Elizabeth Alford, UNSW, 2012

Master by Coursework students:
  Demetra Siountris, UNSW, 2020
  Xin Hu, UNSW, 2019
  Salha Ahmed Alshaikey, UNSW, 2012
  Dalal Alanazi, UNSW, 2012
  Saad Althobaiti, UNSW, 2012
  Doug Han Yang, UNSW, 2009
  Ali Alkhaldi,  UNSW, 2009
 
Research Course Project:
  Jovana Kolar, UNSW, 2021
  Abdellah Islam, UNSW, 2020
  Iker Carrera, UNSW, 2020
  James Ross, UNSW, 2014

AMSI Summer Research Project:
  Ariana Liu, UNSW, 2023
  Jovana Kolar, UNSW, 2022
  Tiana Tsung Ung, UNSW, 2021

Summer Research Project:
  Ryan Yang, ANU, 2024
  Tiana Tsung Ung, UNSW, 2020
  Abdellah Islam, UNSW, 2020
  Charlie Stinson, UNSW, 2019
  Zijian Gao, UNSW, 2019
  Rui Tong, UNSW, 2018
  Jacky Huang, UNSW, 2018
  Gary Liang, UNSW, 2015
  Adam Mammoliti, UNSW, 2014
  Steve Sui, UNSW, 2013
  Kirsten Vo-Phuoc, UNSW, 2012
  Sen Lin, UNSW, 2011

My Teaching

I have designed, created and lectured the HDR/Honours courses

  Aspects of Combinatorial Optimisation (at Kumamoto University, 2011)
  Combinatorial Enumeration and Optimisation (AMSI Summer School 2012, with Prof. Ian Wanless).
  An Introduction to Combinatorics (Aalto University, 2017)
  MATH5505 - Combinatorics (UNSW 2016, 2018)

and written course material for, and lectured, the courses

  MATH151 - Finite Mathematics (University of Victoria, BC, Canada)
  MATH1031 - Mathematics for Life Sciences
  MATH1081 - Discrete Mathematics
  MATH1131 - Mathematics 1A
  MATH1241 - Higher Mathematics 1B
  MATH3411 - Information, Codes and Ciphers
  MATH3521 - Algebraic Techniques in Number Theory

In total, I have lectured semester courses for 8,000 students.
I have also tutored numerous courses, for 2,000 students.

Here is quick access to some of my maths teaching and outreach videos.