Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry (PSI) Events

Registration for two exciting 2025/26 PSI student events (MEDMathS and Careers Event) is now open! 

From Maths to Medicine, attend to find out more about the exciting world of Medical Statistics. 

Find out more about their events, including how to register, below:

Short stories 2

You'd think all Olympic athletics tracks would be the same. 

Amandine's recent Public Lecture will be on our YouTube Channel from Thursday 16th @5pm.

Café π news

Waffle Wednesdays are back from 15 October, 8:30 –10:30 am in the Café.

Enjoy freshly made waffles with your choice of Banana & Chocolate or Bacon & Maple Syrup. Only £4.00.

Then do 100 press-ups.

Fridays@2 - The Art of Mathematical Communication

No, you're not losing it, it really is 2pm. A special session:

Join bestselling author Simon Singh and Oxford Mathematician turned educator Junaid Mubeen for a session on maths communication. Learn how to present mathematics in a way that is both accessible and engaging, and how to apply these principles in a teaching context. 

Wed, 22 Oct 2025
11:00
L4

Two partition-function approaches to non-symmetric random tensor eigenvalues

Giacomo La Scala
(Oxford University)
Abstract
At large N, random matrices with Gaussian distributed entries follow the Wigner semicircular law for the distribution of their eigenvalues. Random tensors are of interest in contexts of d > 2 dimensional quantum theories but do not enjoy simple generalisations of eigenvalues. Work has recently been done by Gurau to extend Wigner’s law to totally symmetric random tensors, with an approach inspired by the partition function of a Gaussian p-spin model. Starting from Gurau’s approach, I will motivate and introduce two new attempts to define and study eigenvalues of non-symmetric random tensors through partition functions, at finite and large N. One approach, based on a definition of a characteristic function, will be related to Gurau’s distribution. The other, based on a permuted definition of eigenvalues, will hint at a universality with differently-computed distributions for symmetric and complex random tensors.

Oxford University Language Centre courses

Enrolment for Michaelmas term courses in Modern Languages and Academic English at the Language Centre is open until 12 noon on Wednesday of Week 1 (15 October). Classes take place weekly, online or in person, with many lunchtime and evening sessions on offer.

Oxford Mathematics merchandise!

Show your love for Oxford Maths with our exclusive range of branded merchandise! All of our merchandise can be bought online at the College Store.

Take advantage of a 10% discount on all our gear from t-shirts to fleeces to key rings. The discount code TCS-FRESH10 will run from 1 – 30 October. 

Tue, 21 Oct 2025

14:00 - 15:00
L3

Optimal control of the Dyson equation and large deviations for Hermitian random matrices

Prof Panagiotis E. Souganidis
(University of Chicago)
Abstract

Using novel arguments as well as techniques developed over the last  twenty years to study mean field games, in this paper (i) we investigate the optimal control of the Dyson equation, which is the mean field equation for the so-called Dyson Brownian motion, that is, the stochastic particle system satisfied by the eigenvalues of large random matrices, (ii) we establish the well-posedness of the resulting infinite dimensional Hamilton-Jacobi equation, 
(iii) we provide a complete and direct proof for the large deviations for the spectrum of large random matrices, and (iv) we study the asymptotic behavior of the transition probabilities of the Dyson Brownian motion.  Joint work with Charles Bertucci and Pierre-Louis Lions.

Become an Oxford Maths Ambassador!

We are looking for Oxford Maths Ambassadors!

Ambassadors are students that make our outreach events truly welcoming and friendly, and make sure that things run smoothly. They’re pro-active and enthusiastic about Maths, and they work with us on open days, the Maths Festival, school visits, and online events like OOMC and the MAT Livestream. We pay our ambassadors Oxford Living Wage for most events.

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