After graduating in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in England, I went on to do a doctorate. Following the Summer School in Harmonic Analysis at the University of Warwick in 1968, I spent the last year of my doctorate and my first postdoctoral year at the Faculté des Sciences at Orsay, France (as it was then), now the Université de Paris-Sud. After holding a research fellowship at St. John's College, Cambridge, I took up a tenure track position at McGill in September 1972. I was attracted to McGill because of the presence of Professor Carl Herz who was a great inspiration to me at the time.
I have enjoyed both teaching and doing mathematical research at McGill over the years. I used to think that my research was the more important, but now I am not so sure. I have had the priviledge of knowing many remarkable students during my teaching career and dare to think that in some small measure I have helped to shape their careers.