Forthcoming events in this series
A discussion on how race and ethnicity interact with the concept of merit in academia, based on sections from the book 'Misconceiving Merit' by Blair-Loy and Cech.
Mathematicians often like to think of maths as objective. Science communicator Hana Ayoob joins us to discuss how the fact that humans do maths means that the ways maths is developed, used, and communicated are not neutral.
Come take a break and get to know other Mathematrix members over some crafts! All supplies and sweet treats provided.
Prof Ian Griffiths (a mental health first aider in the department) will lead a discussion about how to protect your mental health when studying an intense graduate degree and outline the support and resources available within the Mathematical Institute.
Join us for the inaugural session of Mathematrix book club! Have you heard that office workplaces often have the thermostat set at a temperature that is too cold for women to work comfortably? This month we will be discussing the academic articles behind concepts that often come up in conversations about gender inequality in the workplace. The goal of book club is to develop an evidence-based understanding of diversity in mathematics and academia.
Join us for an initial welcome pizza lunch to start the academic year to learn about what's happening in Mathematrix in 2025/26! Meet other students who are from underrepresented groups in mathematics and allies :)
Please RSVP here to confirm your spot: https://form.jotform.com/252814345456864
It’s a busy and stressful term for a lot of us so come and take a break and do some colouring and origami with us. Venting is very much encouraged.
We’ll have an open discussion about the ways in which Mathematics is very euro-centric and how we can act, as students and educators, to change this.
Come chill out after a busy term and play some board games with us. We'll provide some games but feel free to bring your own!
Oxford Women and Non-Binary People in Mathematics Day 2025: Pathways to Progress
Saturday 1st March 2025 - 10-4:30 - Mathematical Institute
Building on the success of last year's conference, this year's event, 'Pathways to Progress' will showcase the varied paths that women and non-binary people can take within Maths, from art to teaching to academia to tech. We will be bringing together mathematicians from across the UK for a schedule of talks, workshops, and networking sessions. The aim is to encourage women and non-binary people to pursue careers in Mathematics, to promote women and non-binary role models, and to bring together a community of like-minded people.
This event is open to everyone, regardless of their gender identity. More details can be found on our website https://www.oxwomeninmaths.co.uk/ and the registration form is here.
A question we get asked all the time! We'll also be discussing the numerous ways our identities as Mathematicians are shaped by being a minority. Free lunch provided.
Join us for the launch of our conference `Oxford Women and Non-Binary People in Mathematics Day 2025: Pathways to Progress' - website and registration link available here https://www.oxwomeninmaths.co.uk/. We will have tea, coffee, and cake, and members of the conference committee will be around to tell you all about the event! Everyone welcome, regardless of their gender identity.
Several PhD students from the department will give short 5 minute talks on their research. This is also targeted at undergraduates interested in doing PhDs .
Come along to hear from several PhD students and PostDocs about their research. There will also be a Q&A about doing a Master's/PhD and a chance to mingle with postgraduate students.
Speakers include:
We will be joined by Dr Brigitte Stenhouse from the Open University to discuss harassment, particularly in academic settings.
This is a joint event by the Mathematrix and Mirzakhani Societies for all women and non-binary people in the Maths department. Join us in the South Mezzanine for some hot drinks and sweet treats.
Come along for free Pizza and to hear about the Mathematrix events this term.
In our first ever joint event with WISOx (Oxford Women in Statistics), we will be having a panel discussion about the hidden labour of minorities, such as extra committee work, editorial work, etc.
We will be joined by panellists Helen Byrne (Maths) and Gesine Reinert (Stats).
Join us on Monday 13th May at 6:30 in L2 to celebrate International Women in Maths Day. Traditionally celebrated on May 12th, Mirzakhani's birthday, this is an occasion to celebrate all the wonderful women and non-binary people that make up our mathematical community. This event will be open to all, regardless of gender identity.
Join us for our first event of term to discuss those topics which are slightly taboo. We’ll be talking about periods, pregnancy, chronic illness, gender identity... This event is open to all but we will be taking extra steps to make sure it is a safe space for everyone.
The conference ‘Beyond the Pipeline: Women and Non-binary People in Mathematics Day’ will be held at the University of Oxford on the 17th February 2024. This is a joint event between the Mathematrix and the Mirzakhani societies of the University of Oxford. It is kindly funded by the London Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford, with additional funding from industry sponsors.
The metaphor of the 'leaky pipeline' for the decreasing number of women and other gender minorities in Mathematics is problematic and outdated. It conceals the real reasons that women and non-binary people choose to leave Mathematics. This conference, 'Beyond the Pipeline', aims to encourage women and non-binary people to pursue careers in Mathematics, to promote women and non-binary role models, and to create a community of like-minded people.
Speakers:
The conference will also include:
More information can be found on our website https://www.oxwomeninmaths2024.co.uk/.
This conference is open to everyone regardless of their gender identity. Registration is via the following google form https://forms.gle/cDGaeJCPbBFEPfDB6 and will close when we have reached capacity. We have limited travel funding to support travel to Oxford from within the UK and you can apply for this on the registration form. The deadline for those applying to give a talk and for those applying for travel funding is the 27th January.
If you have any questions email us at @email.
We will be joined by Tim LaRock, president of the UCU, to talk about everything money and work related, and how these issues intersect with being a minority. Lunch will be provided.
Join us for a discussion about preparing for PhD and PostDoc Interviews. We will be talking to Melanie Rupflin and Mura Yakerson.
Feeling the winter blues setting in? Come and chill out with us and do some crafts.
We will be joined by people with mentoring experience to discuss the importance of both having and being a good mentor.
We will have a Q&A with a panel of academics and industry experts on applying to jobs both in and out of academia.
Come and meet the Mathematrix committee and find out more about what the society is for and what events we are putting on this term. There will be free pizza!
https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/study-here/postgraduate-study/mathematrix
We will be joined by Philip Maini, Professor of Mathematical Biology and Ethnic Minorities Fellow at St John's College, to discuss his mathematical journey and experiences.
This week we will be discussing the theme of resilience. Free lunch provided!
Female PhD students and Postdocs will be giving short talks about their research. This will be followed by a Q&A and a chance to mingle with the speakers over lunch.
Speakers:
With conference season fast approaching, we will be meeting up to discuss our experiences of going to conferences and how best to prepare for them as a minority in Mathematics.
We will discuss the pros and cons of targets vs quotas in increasing diversity in Mathematics.
We will be joined for lunch by the undergraduate society for women and non-binary students in Maths. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/q3uywCN3Dn78Kvkq6. Note: this event is only open to women and non-binary students.
We will be joined by Professor Kobi Kremnizer, who is a trained mental health first-aider, to discuss ways to protect your mental health this season.
We will finish off the term with a discussion of allies and community. You are encouraged to bring a friend who has never been to Mathematrix before!
We will be joined by Frances Kirwan to talk about the various careers available for Mathematicians and how to be a successful applicant.
We will be joined by Charlotte Turner-Smith to discuss issues surrounding harassment and mental health, and how the department is helping to tackle these.
Come along for free pizza and to hear about the Mathematrix events this term.
We are very excited to have another session with invited speakers joining us for the lunch next week. Sandy Patel and Dr. Timothy Knowlson, Oxford's Peer Support Programme Coordinator, will be joining us for a panel discussion on mental health in academia.
This will be a great opportunity to learn about what support is available, what are the common issues faced by postgrads in our department and how we can help ourselves and each other. All are welcome to join us and to ask questions.
We hope to see many of you at the (free) lunch - Monday 1-2pm Quillen Room (N3.12).
This session started from the observation from one of the Logic students that for the past 8 years, there had been no female students in logic. We will look at questions related to the differences between various areas of mathematics and how this may affect potential applicants.
Sharing her academic path and experience with teaching and outreach
This session is open to all women and non-binary students, and joined with Mirzakhani society, the undergraduate mathematics society for women and non-binary students. The topic will be related to women and confidence.
Author of Alan Turing: The Enigma, sharing his academic path and experience as activist for LGBTQ+ rights
Get to know the Mathematrix events of this term!
We were a bit too late with ordering food, so the usual sandwich lunch will only start from week 2. However, there may be some small snacks.
This will be the final mathematrix meeting for the term and we will be discussing Implicit Bias. In short, Implicit Bias is to do with perceptions and judgements we unconsciously make about people based on preconceptions we have about certain appearances, background or other characteristics. Even if we are not aware of making these judgements, they can affect our actions and decisions none-the-less. For a slightly longer introduction about this topic and how it can relate to academia, we suggest reading the following article: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6289/1067.full
In this session we hope to explain more about what implicit bias is, how it might affect us, and discuss ways to avoid implicit bias and make ourselves and others more aware of it.
Everyone is welcome! Monday, 1300-1400, Quillen Room (N3.12), with lunch provided.
This week is a women's only week in which we are joined by the Mirzakhani society, the society for undergraduate women in maths, for lunch.
We are very excited to have another session with invited speakers joining us for the lunch next week. Annika Heckel, Frances Kirwan and Marc Lackenby will all be joining us for a panel discussion on balancing family with academia. All are welcome to join us and to ask questions.
We hope to see many of you at the lunch - Monday 1-2pm Quillen Room (N3.12).
Prof. Helen Byrne shares her academic path and experience as Director of Equality and Diversity.
More information will appear later.