Complex sentence: On 19 October 2009 he was confirmed as the next Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, to succeed Stephen Hawking on 1 November 2009, but in 2015 was succeeded in that chair by Michael Cates, a specialist in colloids, gels, and particulate materials.
Split into simpler sentences: On 19 October 2009 he was confirmed as the next Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, to succeed Stephen Hawking on 1 November 2009,. In 2015 was succeeded in that chair by Michael Cates, a specialist in colloids, gels, and particulate materials.