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The delivery of this year’s Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) has caused widespread distress and difficulties, most especially for the candidates themselves. The Oxford Mathematical Institute would like to apologise for this distress, and assure everyone that our priority is to ensure that no one is disadvantaged during the admissions process. We would also like to thank everyone who has provided feedback so far, whether via the special consideration forms or via email and social media.

We have decided on the following steps:

The Mathematical Institute will offer an additional test to candidates who submit a special consideration form after experiencing disruption when taking the MAT on 19 October, whether they applied to Oxford, Imperial or Warwick Universities.

The additional test will be optional; candidates are not required to take it if they are happy with how the MAT went for them on 19 October. For candidates who suffered disruption and wish to take the additional test, that test will supplement the information we already have.

On the 3 November, we will send out invitations for the additional test to all candidates who submitted a special consideration form, or who are identified as having experienced disruption, as well as to test centres where that disruption took place. We recognise that some candidates may not have access to information via schools or centres - we are doing all we can to identify them. 

The invitation will ask candidates to complete a simple form to register (by noon on Friday 10 November) for the optional additional test which will take place on Tuesday 14 November at 09:00 GMT. (Candidates in the USA for whom 09:00 will not work will be identified and contacted separately).

The additional test will comprise ten multiple-choice questions in the style of (and with the syllabus of) MAT Q1, and candidates will have one hour to complete the test.

Where possible, we would like the additional test to be hosted by schools or colleges; where necessary, remote invigilation will be arranged at home. The additional test will be made available to test centres (or candidates taking the test at home) for printing just before the start of the test on 14 November. The additional test will be administered entirely by the University. 

The Mathematical Institute is marking the MAT test as normal. The majority of candidates experienced no disruption – we do not want to disadvantage those candidates. College tutors (who are responsible for shortlisting) will have access to a candidate’s UCAS form, the results of the MAT test taken on 19 October, and the results of the additional test, if taken, as well special consideration forms. Tutors will take all this information into consideration when deciding whether to shortlist a candidate. Oxford Mathematics will liaise closely with colleges to manage the situation.

Once again, we apologise for all the disruption. We are doing all we can to make sure all candidates have an opportunity to display their full potential, and no one is disadvantaged.

Oxford Mathematics and Balliol College will be hosting an afternoon to celebrate the life and contributions of Vicky Neale who died in May of this year.

November 11, 2023, 14.00–16.30
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, OX2 6GG

If you would like to join us, please register here

You can leave your memories of Vicky here.

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 as Jim Khalili describes in this Oxford Mathematics Roger Penrose Public Lecture.

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.

Jim Al-Khalili CBE FRS is an academic, author and broadcaster. He holds a Distinguished Chair in Theoretical Physics at the University of Surrey where he conducts research in quantum physics. He has written fifteen books on popular science, between them translated into over twenty-six languages. He is a regular presenter of TV science documentaries and the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme, The Life Scientific.

Please email @email to register to attend in person.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on Wednesday 15 November 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.

These Famous Five are our 2023-24 cohort of Martingale Postgraduate Foundation Scholars who we are delighted to welcome to Oxford Mathematics. Rik Knowles, Joshua Procter, Charlotte Nash, Callum Marsh and Allan Perez are studying with us on our Mathematical Science MSc course, the first cohort of Martingale Scholars to study with us.

The Martingale Scholarships not only provide funding for course fees and stipends for UK students, but also provide additional support in the form of leadership training, career development and the ability to access a range of research and industry placements. Scholars will join a community of researchers from five leading UK universities as well as businesses across the country.

The Foundation will prioritise students for whom family income has been or would be a barrier to postgraduate education.

If you are thinking about applying for a 2024 Martingale Scholarship then make sure you apply by the deadline of 25th October 2023.

Lots more information here including how to apply

9am today, Lecture Theatre 1, Andrew Wiles Building, home to Oxford Mathematics. The first day of term. Our new undergraduates wait for the first lecture of their first day. The topic? 'Probability' with Matthias Winkel, here pictured with 250 students. First and second year lectures are followed by tutorials where students go through the week's lectures and problem sheets with their tutor in their college.

Let their journey begin.

Some lectures from the Probability course will be on our YouTube Channel soon. Many other student lectures are already there along with Public Lectures and short films where our mathematicians talk about maths (among other things).

How mathematical time flies. The Andrew Wiles Building, home to Oxford Mathematics, was opened in October 2013 and has been instrumental in attracting students, researchers and the wider public to Oxford and to mathematics. To mark this 10th anniversary, we asked everyone in Oxford Mathematics to nominate people for a series of photographs to celebrate the people who study and work here.

Here are the nominations, featuring undergraduates, a Nobel Prize winner, unsung heroes including those who got us through Covid, and a tribute to the people who helped make it happen all those years ago.

The full gallery

Join Marcus for this Oxford Mathematics Public Lecture 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…

Tuesday 03 October 2023
5-6pm Andrew Wiles Building, Mathematical Institute, Oxford

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.

The search for and creation of patterns is intrinsic to both science and art. But so is the desire to understand how and why those patterns break down and to uncover the implications for the scientist and the artist.

Artist Liliane Lijn, curator Fatos Ustek and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy will share their experience and understanding of pattern and where it has taken them in their scientific and artistic careers. Conrad Shawcross will chair the discussion and provide his own unique perspective as represented by his 'Cascading Principles' Exhibition.

Liliane Lijn is an American-born artist who has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, and was recently short listed for her design for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Marcus Sautoy is a mathematician and Professor for the Public Understanding of Science in Oxford. Fatos Ustek is curator of the 'Cascading Principles' exhibition and curator of the sculpture park at Frieze London. Conrad Shawcross is an artist specialising in mechanical sculptures based on philosophical and scientific ideas.

Thursday 28 September, 5.30pm
Mathematical Institute, Oxford

Please email @email to register.

In times of inflation - and there is a lot of it around just now - companies like to avoid price hikes. A favourite tactic is to reduce product size while keeping the price the same. But do you know how the maths works?

James Munro explains the mathematical cunning of shrinkflation, the first in a series of (very) short films about numeracy, a skill we all need to navigate our way around the world, but which we perhaps take for granted.

You can watch the video below and also tune in to our YouTube Channel for a range of student lectures, Public Lectures and short films.

Oxford Mathematician Artur Ekert has been awarded the Milner Award and Lecture by the Royal Society for "pioneering contributions to quantum communication and computation, which transformed the field of quantum information science from a niche academic activity into a vibrant interdisciplinary field of industrial relevance."

Professor Ekert said: "Unearthing the connections between cryptography and the foundations of quantum theory has been a captivating journey and it is very gratifying to have my work recognised. Quantum theory has undeniably unlocked numerous novel ways to understand and harness nature, including information, and I am excited to see what developments unfold over the near future."

Artur Ekert is a pioneer in the field of quantum information science, playing a leading role in transforming this field from a relatively obscure area of study into a vibrant, interdisciplinary arena of research. His invention of entanglement-based quantum cryptography forged connections between the foundations of quantum physics and secure communication. This led to a surge in research activity worldwide, and it continues to inspire new research directions.

In addition to his celebrated discovery that Bell's inequalities can be used for eavesdropping detection, Ekert has made numerous significant contributions to the theoretical foundations and experimental realisations of quantum communication and computation. These include his pioneering research on the universality of quantum logic gates, the development of the first methods for stabilising and protecting quantum operations, elucidation of the unifying structure of quantum algorithms, and the proposal of one of the first practical designs for quantum computation, among other achievements.

Artur adds: "the field of quantum technology is in a state of overdrive. Academia, industry, government agencies, spooks, journalists, and even my neighbour’s dog (trust me, it's an exceptionally bright dog) are completely enamoured with quantum computers and similar concepts. This social phenomenon fascinates me no end. Indeed, quantum theory has undeniably unlocked numerous novel ways to understand and harness nature, including information.

But what if, perchance, the theory is eventually refuted—for instance, if some unexpected, fundamental limitation thwarts attempts to build a scalable quantum computer? I would be absolutely thrilled to see that unfold! Such a development is, by all means, the most exciting prospect. It would not only instigate a revision of our fundamental understanding of the laws of physics but might also reveal new, potentially even more captivating types of computation. Because if something puts a halt to quantum mechanics, we should anticipate an intriguing new 'whatever-halts-quantum-mechanics' theory, followed by equally exciting 'whatever-halts-quantum-computers' computers."

Artur Ekert was born in Wroclaw, Poland and studied physics at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and at the University of Oxford. He is a professor of quantum physics in Oxford, a fellow of Merton College and Lee Kong Chian Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore and founding director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore. In addition to his many achievements listed above, Artur has also explored the connections between mathematical proofs and the laws of physics in his writings, as well as authored several popular articles on the history of science. Beyond academia, Ekert is a scuba diving instructor and an enthusiastic aviator, harbouring a special fondness for South African wine.