Allan Steel

Dr. Allan Steel is a Senior Research Fellow in the Computational Algebra Group at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney. He earned his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2012, specializing in the construction of irreducible representations of finite groups.

His research focuses on computational algebra, symbolic computation, and the development of algorithms for computer algebra systems, particularly the Magma system. Key areas include:

• Polynomial factorization over global and function fields
• Groebner basis computation (e.g., dense F4 variant)
• Algebraic closure implementations
• Applications to cryptography (e.g., Minrank problem)

His publications demonstrate a strong emphasis on algorithm design for symbolic computation, with recurring themes in algebraic structures, high-performance computing (GPU-accelerated methods), and software development for mathematical systems. His work on Magma has led to breakthroughs in solving large-scale algebraic problems.

He leads the Computational Algebra Research Group and contributes to Magma's core architecture, including packages for exact linear algebra and Groebner basis computation.