My friend, former colleague and PhD supervisor, David Evans, who has died aged 85, was an applied mathematician admired for his academic leadership.
During a five-year term as pro-vice chancellor at the University of Bristol (1997-2002), he was instrumental in introducing a novel strategy into the admissions system. Drawing on robust statistical evidence that showed students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved, on average, better degree outcomes than their peers, he successfully advocated for the lowering of entry tariffs for specific groups. The scheme drew criticism from the national press, one newspaper article branding David a “tin-pot Trotskyite”, but the idea has since been adopted by UK universities.
