Department of Mathematics and Philosophy

Tom Blackford

J. Thomas Blackford, Professor

Specializing in Algebra and Geometry

Education

Ph.D., Ohio State University (1999)
B.A., The College of Wooster (1991)

Contact Information

Office: Morgan Hall 463A
Phone: (309) 298-2358
Email: JT-Blackford@wiu.edu

Courses Taught

  • Math 128: College Algebra
  • Math 129: Trigonometry
  • Math 133: Calculus I
  • Math 134: Calculus II
  • Math 231: Multivariate Calculus
  • Math 311: Linear Algebra
  • Math 355: Combinatorics
  • Math 407: Number Theory for Teachers
  • Math 421: Abstract Algebra
  • Math 424: Advanced Linear Algebra
  • Math 521: Abstract Algebra II
  • Math 554: Algebraic Coding Theory
  • Math 699: Algebraic Coding Theory
  • Stat 171: Introduction to Statistics
  • Stat 276: General Statistics

Research Interests

  • Algebraic Coding Theory
  • Cryptography
  • Abstract Algebra
  • Combinatorics and Probability
  • Writing Mathematical Fiction

Selected Publications

  • Blackford, T. (2017). The Galois variance of constacyclic codes. To appear in Finite Fields and Applications.
  • Blackford, T. (2013). Isodual constacyclic codes. Finite Fields and Applications, Vol 24, pp. 29-44.
  • Blackford, T. (2008). Negacyclic duadic codes. Finite Fields and Applications, Vol. 14, pp. 930-943. (Math Colloquium presentation February 10, 2005, entitled "Cyclic and Negacyclic Duadic Codes.")
  • Blackford, T. (2003). Cyclic codes over ℤ4 of oddly even length. Discrete Applied Mathematics 128, no. 1, 27-46. International Workshop on Coding and Cryptography (WCC 2001) (Paris).
  • Blackford, T. (2003). Negacyclic codes over ℤ4 of even length. IEEE Transactions on Informal Theory, 49, no. 6, 1417-1424.
  • Ling, S. & Blackford, T. (2002). ℤρκ+1-linear codes. IEEE Transactions on Informal Theory, 48, no.9, 2592-2605.
  • Blackford, T. & Ray-Chaudhuri, D. (2000). A transform approach to permutation groups of cyclic codes over Galois rings. IEEE Transactions on Informal Theory, 46, no.7, 2350-2358.