Past Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures

In this lecture Gábor Domokos will use the geometric theory of tilings to describe natural patterns ranging from nanoscale to planetary scale, appearing in physics, biology, and geology.  Rock fragments can be modelled by polyhedra having, on average, six flat faces and eight sharp vertices, reflecting Plato’s postulate of pairing the element Earth with the cube.  If we depart from polyhedra and admit curved faces then we can tile space without any sharp corners with a new class of shapes, called soft cells, which appear in both living and non-living nature.

Gábor Domokos is a research professor at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.  He is best known for proving a conjecture of V.I. Arnold by constructing, with Péter Várkonyi, the Gömböc, the first homogeneous, convex shape with just one stable and one unstable static equilibrium. Since then he has developed geometrical models of natural shapes and their evolution, including Martian pebbles, turtles shells, planetary crack patterns, rock fragments, asteroids, ooids, supramolecular structures and, most recently,  soft cells. 

Please email @email to register.

This lecture will be premiered on our YouTube Channel on Thursday 22 May at 5pm (and any time after). No need to register for the online version.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

During the pandemic, you may have seen graphs of data plotted on strange-looking (logarithmic) scales. Oliver will explain some of the basics and history of logarithms, and show why they are a natural tool to represent numbers ranging from COVID data to Instagram followers. In fact, we’ll see how logarithms can even help us understand information itself in a mathematical way.

Oliver Johnson is Professor of Information Theory in the School of Mathematics at the University of Bristol. His research involves randomness and uncertainty, and includes collaborations with engineers, biologists and computer scientists. During the pandemic he became a commentator on the daily COVID numbers, through his Twitter account and through appearances on Radio 4 and articles for the Spectator. He is the author of the book Numbercrunch (2023), which is designed to help a general audience understand the value of maths as a toolkit for making sense of the world.

Please email @email to register.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on Wednesday 06 March at 5-6pm and any time after (no need to register for the online version).

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

In this lecture, Sarah will explore the many connections between mathematics and literature. She'll show the hidden mathematical structures behind everything from poetry to novels, and reveal some of the beautiful mathematical imagery and symbolism in fiction, from simple fairy tales to classics like Moby-Dick. Her goal is to show that not only are mathematics and literature inextricably linked, but that understanding these links can enhance our enjoyment of both. 

Sarah Hart is Professor of Mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London, the Gresham Professor of Geometry in Gresham College and author of Once Upon a Prime: the Wondrous Connections between Mathematics and Literature.

Please email @email to register to attend in person.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on Thursday 14th December at 5pm and any time after (no need to register for the online version).

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Oxford Mathematics Roger Penrose Public Lecture

Does Life know about quantum mechanics? - Jim Al-Khalili

Physicists and chemists are used to dealing with quantum mechanics, but biologists have thus far got away without having to worry about this strange yet powerful theory of the subatomic world. However, times are changing. There is now solid evidence that enzymes use quantum tunnelling to accelerate chemical reactions, while plants and bacteria use a quantum trick in photosynthesis – sending lumps of sunlight energy in multiple directions at once. It even appears that some animals have the ability to use quantum entanglement – what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance” – as a compass to ‘see’ the earth’s magnetic field. In our research at the University of Surrey we are discovering that life may even have evolved mechanisms to control genetic mutations caused by quantum tunnelling of protons between strands of DNA. Welcome to the exciting new field of quantum biology.

Oxford Mathematics Public Lecture: Around the World in 80 Games - Marcus du Sautoy

Join Marcus as he takes us on a mathematical journey across the centuries and through countries, continents and cultures in search of the games we love to play.  Based on his new book, he looks at the way mathematics has always been deeply intertwined with games and investigates how games themselves can provide us with opportunities for mathematical insight into the world.

From backgammon to chess, Catan to Snakes and Ladders, games are not simply an enjoyable diversion. They are rather the height of human ingenuity. Ours is the species that loves playing games: not homo sapiens but homo ludens.  The lecture is suitable for everyone ‘from age 8 to 108.’  Come and join Marcus on his journey Around the World in 80 Games. You simply can’t lose…

Marcus du Sautoy is Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science in Oxford and Professor of Mathematics.

Please email @email to register.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on 24th October at 5pm, and can be watched any time after.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Mathematics is about finding better ways of reasoning. But for many applied mathematicians, the primary mission is to shape their minds in a way that gets them closer to the truth. The calculations are secondary, the real question is: how can we better understand the world around us?

David will take us on a journey through applied mathematics from statistics all the way to complexity theory, lifting examples from his work with football clubs — signing the best players (statistical thinking) or organising an attack (complex thinking) - and from every day life —  bickering less with our partners (interactive thinking) and learning to let go (chaotic thinking). David reimagines applied mathematics as a set of tools for life, from big work decisions to how we treat our friends, family and work colleagues. No problem is too big or too small for a mathematical solution.

Professor David Sumpter is author of five books including Soccermatics (2016), Outnumbered (2018) and Four Ways of Thinking (2023). His research covers everything from the inner workings of fish schools and ant colonies, through social psychology and segregation in society, to machine learning and artificial intelligence. He has consulted for leading football clubs and national teams and has written for The Economist 1843, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Prospect and FourFourTwo magazine.

Please email @email to register.

The lecture will be broadcast on our YouTube Channel exactly three weeks later, 5pm, 4th October and any time after.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Imagination is the creative force for artists. But what about mathematicians and scientists? What part does imagination play in their work? What do the artist and the scientist have in common? And how do each envision things that will never be seen?

In this panel discussion two scientists and one artist, all leaders in their field, will provide an answer. They have more in common than you would think.

Nobel-prize winning scientist Roger Penrose is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor in Oxford. Carlo Rovelli is a Professor in the Centre de Physique Théorique de Luminy of Aix-Marseille Université and the author of several popular-science books including 'Seven Brief Lesson on Physics'. Conrad Shawcross is an artist specialising in mechanical sculptures based on philosophical and scientific ideas. His exhibition, 'Cascading Principles' is currently showing in the Mathematical Institute.

The discussion will be chaired by curator and writer Fatos Ustek, curator of the 'Cascading Principles' exhibition.

There will be an opportunity to view the exhibition from 4pm on the day of the lecture.

Please email @email to register.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures and the Conrad Shawcross Exhibition are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Starting from just a sheet of paper, by folding, stacking, crumpling, sometimes tearing, Tadashi will explore a diversity of phenomena, from magic tricks and geometry through elasticity and the traditional Japanese art of origami to medical devices and an ‘h-principle’. Much of the show consists of table-top demonstrations, which you can try later with friends and family.

So, take a sheet of paper. . .

Tadashi Tokieda is a professor of mathematics at Stanford.  He grew up as a painter in Japan, became a classical philologist (not to be confused with philosopher) in France and, having earned a PhD in pure mathematics from Princeton, has been an applied mathematician in England and the US; all in all, he has lived in eight countries so far.  Tadashi is very active in mathematical outreach, notably with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. You'll find him on Numberphile's YouTube channel.

Please email @email to register.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Please note this lecture is at the Science Museum, London, SW7.

In July 2022 Oxford Mathematician James Maynard received the Fields Medal, the highest honour for a mathematician under the age of 40, for his groundbreaking work on prime numbers. In this lecture he will explain the fascinations and frustrations of the primes before sitting down with Hannah to discuss his work and his life. 

Please email @email to register.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Oxford Mathematics Public Lecture

Cascading Principles - Conrad Shawcross, Martin Bridson and James Sparks with Fatos Ustek

Thursday 23 February, 2023
5pm - 6.15pm Andrew Wiles Building, Mathematical Institute, Oxford

Cascading Principles is an exhibition of nearly 40 stunning, mathematically inspired sculptures which are living alongside the mathematicians that inspired them in the Andrew Wiles Building, home to Oxford Mathematics. In this 'lecture', chaired by exhibition curator Fatos Ustek, Conrad will talk about what motivates his work, and how the possibilities and uncertainties of science inform his art. In turn, mathematicians Martin Bridson and James Sparks will describe how a mathematician responds to art motivated by their subject. 

There will be an opportunity to view the exhibition from 4pm on the day of the lecture.

Conrad Shawcross specialises in mechanical sculptures based on philosophical and scientific ideas. He is the youngest living member of the Royal Academy of Arts. James Sparks is Professor of Mathematical Physics and Head of the Mathematical Institute in Oxford. Martin Bridson is Whitehead Professor of Pure Mathematics in Oxford and President of the Clay Mathematics Institute. Fatos Ustek is a curator and writer and a leading voice in contemporary art.

Please email @email to register.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures and the Conrad Shawcross Exhibition are generously supported by XTX Markets.

Oxford Mathematics Christmas Public Lecture

In this talk we'll look at a variety of delicious delights through a lens of fluid dynamics and mathematical modelling. From perfect roast potatoes to sweet sauces, mathematics gets everywhere!

Helen Wilson is Head of the Department of Mathematics at UCL. She is best known for her work on the chocolate fountain (which will feature in this lecture) but does do serious mathematical modelling as well.

Please email @email to register. The lecture will be followed by mince pies and drinks for all.

This lecture will be available on our Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel at 5pm on 20th December.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

A calculator processes numbers without caring that these numbers refer to items in our shopping, or the calculations involved in designing an airplane. Number without context is a remarkable abstraction that we learn as infants and which has profoundly affected our world.

Our lives start, progress in complex ways, and are finally complete. So do tasks executed on a computer. Multimodal streams are a pervasive “type”, and even without fixing the context, have a rich structure. Developing this structure leads to wide-ranging tools that have had award-winning impact on methodology in health care, finance, and computer technology.

Terry Lyons is Professor of Mathematics in Oxford and a Fellow of St Anne's College. His research is supported through the DataSig and Cimda-Oxford programmes.

Please email @email to register.

The lecture will be available on our Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on 09 November at 5 pm.

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

In December 2021 mathematicians at Oxford and Sydney universities together with their collaborators at DeepMind announced that they had successfully used tools from machine learning to discover new patterns in mathematics. But what exactly had they done and what are its implications for the future of mathematics and mathematicians?

This online event will feature short talks from each of the four collaborators explaining their work followed by a panel discussion addressing its wider implications.

The speakers:
Alex Davies - DeepMind
Andras Juhasz - University of Oxford
Marc Lackenby - University of Oxford
Geordie Williamson - University of Sydney

The panel will be chaired by Jon Keating, Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy in Oxford.

This is an online only lecture which every one is free to watch:
Oxford Mathematics YouTube

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.