Ronald Fisher
Early Life
Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher was born on February 17, 1890, in East Finchley, London, England. He was the second of seven children born to George and Katie Fisher. His father was a successful businessman, and his mother was a teacher. Fisher's early education was at a private school, where he excelled in mathematics and showed a keen interest in natural history.
Education
Fisher attended Harrow School, a prestigious public school in London, where he further developed his mathematical skills. He won a scholarship to study mathematics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Fisher became interested in the theory of errors and the mathematics of genetics. He graduated in 1912 with a degree in mathematics.
Career
After leaving Cambridge, Fisher worked as a statistician for the City of London. In 1919, he joined the Rothamsted Experimental Station, a research institute for agricultural science, where he worked for 14 years. It was here that Fisher made significant contributions to the field of statistics and genetics.
Fisher's work at Rothamsted led to the development of the analysis of variance (ANOVA), a statistical method used to analyze the differences among group means. He also developed the Fisher's exact test, a statistical significance test used in the analysis of contingency tables.
In 1933, Fisher left Rothamsted to become the Galton Professor of Eugenics at the University College London. Here, he continued his work on statistics and genetics, and also began to work on the theory of natural selection.
In 1943, Fisher moved to the University of Cambridge, where he became the Balfour Professor of Genetics. He continued to work on the theory of natural selection, and also developed the Fisher's fundamental theorem, which states that the rate of increase in fitness of any organism is equal to its genetic variance in fitness.
Contributions to Statistics and Genetics
Fisher's contributions to the field of statistics and genetics are numerous and significant. He is considered one of the founding fathers of modern statistics. His work on the analysis of variance, Fisher's exact test, and Fisher's fundamental theorem have had a profound impact on the field.
Fisher also made significant contributions to the field of genetics. He was one of the first to apply statistical methods to the study of genetics, and his work has been instrumental in the development of modern genetic theory.
Personal Life
Fisher married Eileen Guinness in 1917, and they had eight children together. Fisher was known for his love of nature and his passion for gardening. He was also a committed eugenicist, and his views on this subject were often controversial.
Death and Legacy
Fisher died on July 29, 1962, in Adelaide, Australia. His work continues to have a profound impact on the fields of statistics and genetics. He is remembered as one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century.