Nigel Bean was awarded an Honours degree in Applied Mathematics by the University of Adelaide in 1989. Scholarships enabled him to undertake post-graduate study at Cambridge University, where he earned his PhD in 1993.
Nigel returned to the University of Adelaide in 1993 as a researcher and lecturer in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and in 2001 was awarded the J.H. Michell Medal by the Australian Mathematical Society as the outstanding new researcher in Industrial and Applied Mathematics in Australia and New Zealand. Since January 2002 he has been Director of TRC Mathematical Modelling. This industry-funded research and consulting organisation has the primary aim of demonstrating the importance of mathematics through using mathematical modelling to increase the efficiency of enterprises in Australia.
Nigel Bean believes, for young people with a mathematical inclination, that a formal mathematical education, coupled with an engineering or commerce qualification, provides an excellent foundation for creating an exciting future.