Oxford Mathematician Jane Ivy Coons has won a L'Oréal-UNESCO UK and Ireland For Women in Science Rising Talent Award. The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science partnership, founded in 1998, aims to help empower more women scientists to achieve scientific excellence and participate equally in solving the great challenges facing humanity.
Jane's research is in the field of algebraic statistics where she uses tools from algebra and combinatorics to explore the geometry of statistical models. She is currently a Supernumerary Teaching Fellow at St John’s College and an affiliate researcher at the Mathematical Institute in Oxford. She received her PhD in 2021 from North Carolina State University where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
We are pleased to announce that Oxford Mathematician Alison Etheridge has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Founded In 1780, the Academy’s founders envisioned an organisation that would recognise accomplished individuals and engage them in addressing the greatest challenges facing the young nation. Today, the Academy continues to be both an honorary society, electing new members from the non-profit, private, and public sectors from across the world, and an independent policy organisation with initiatives in the arts, democracy, education, global affairs, and science.
Alison is Professor of Probability in Oxford, having worked at the Universities of Cambridge, Berkeley, Edinburgh and Queen Mary University London before returning to Oxford. Her interests have ranged from abstract mathematical problems to concrete applications with her recent work focused on mathematical modelling of population genetics. She was Head of the Department of Statistics in Oxford until August 2022.
Alison joins the company of notable members – from the earliest members John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Maria Mitchell, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Condoleezza Rice and Joan Baez.
Chris has a long history of knowledge-exchange-rich research, and has used mathematics to address outstanding challenges with over 40 different business groups and companies. Amongst many other outcomes, his research has been used for applications as diverse as making “ultrathin” glass sheets viable, and enhancing the operation of sulphur-dioxide-removing filters. Since 2014, he has been the co-Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Industrially Focused Mathematical Modelling in Oxford Mathematics.
The KE Hub is an initiative launched following the Bond Review and the Connected Centres Network consultation and is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences. Through a series of linked projects the KE Hub aims to amplify the voice of practitioners and end-users in the mathematical community, increase mobility, create capacity, develop skills, share good practice for low-risk, high-reward entry points in KE, and broker connections.
Welcome to another episode of 'Me and My Maths', starring Adam, Sofia, Edwina and Yixuan.
In 90 seconds each of our guests describes life in Oxford Mathematics.
Adam discusses the master's course in mathematical modelling and scientific computing, Sofia describes the wonders of working in higher dimensions, Edwina talks about partnerships with medics, and Yixuan explains how industry and academia work together on problems. In addition, they each talk about the wider working environment and the importance of their colleagues. And we explain the critical importance of the Oxford Mathematics Fast Hat.
Me and My Maths. Short films about people who also do maths.
The Oxford Maths Festival (organised by Oxford Mathematics) is an extravaganza of all the wonderful curiosities mathematics holds. Over two days you can immerse yourself in a wide range of events, with something for everyone, no matter your age or prior mathematical experience.
Saturday 13 May: Templar's Square Shopping Centre (OX4 3XH): this is the main centre of activities on Saturday. The shopping centre is located in East Oxford. There are some cycle racks around the square, and several bus stops within close reach. Parking is available in the multi-storey car park.
Sunday 14 May: Mathematical Institute (OX2 6GG): all the activities on Sunday will take place here. There is plenty of cycle parking, and some buses stop outside. The Mathematical Institute is approximately 10 minutes walk from the centre of Oxford.
You can register to attend on the Sunday at the Mathematical Institute here (£3 registration fee). If you plan to attend on Saturday, this is a drop-in event and there is no need to register.
Well, you could be the UK's Chief Scientific Adviser (Angela McLean, left), the Director GCHQ, the UK intelligence agency (Anne Keast-Butler, centre) or Chief Executive Citizens Advice UK (Clare Moriarty, right).
All studied maths at Oxford. Angela, who is now a professor of mathematical biology in Oxford studied at Somerville College; Anne who will take up her post in May is currently the Deputy Director General of MI5 and studied at Merton College; and Claire, who was Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, studied at Balliol College.
Oxford Mathematician Philip Maini has been awarded the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications (IMA) Gold Medal 2022 in recognition of his profound contributions to mathematics in biology and medicine, for the sustained role he has played in supporting and mentoring researchers in the early stages of their careers, and for the leadership he has shown in the biological mathematics community and the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology in Oxford Mathematics where he is the Director.
Philip has made major contributions to the understanding of developmental biology, wound healing, host-pathogen interactions, tumour growth and intestinal crypt morphology. He has developed the art of mathematical modelling in biological and medical settings, including models of multi-scale structure and spatiotemporal structure more generally.
Philip was educated at Rainey Endowed School in Northern Ireland and Balliol College, Oxford where his supervisor was Jim Murray. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015 and has been the recipient of many prizes and fellowships including Fellowships of the IMA, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), the Royal Society of Biology, the Indian National Science Academy, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
IMA Gold Medals are awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to mathematics and its applications over a period of years, with nominations being considered every two years.
Oxford Mathematician Coralia Cartis is among the newly selected Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Fellows for 2023. SIAM is an international community of over 14,000 individual members whose mission is to build cooperation between mathematics and the worlds of science and technology. Cora was recognised for theoretical and practical developments in continuous optimisation.
Coras was also recently selected an EUROPT Fellow 2023. EUROPT promotes communication links among researchers working in areas of continuous optimisation. Cora is a Professor in Numerical Optimisation.
Fermat's Last Tango, written in 2000 by Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum, tells the story, in words and music, of a 300 hundred-year-old mathematical mystery and the man who spent seven years trying to solve it.
This version was performed in early March 2023 by Oxford Mathematics students and fellow students from across the University. The venue was a lecture theatre in the Andrew Wiles Building, home to Oxford Mathematics and named after the mathematician who is the subject of the story.
Oxford Mathematician Arkady Wey has won the Gold Medal for mathematical sciences at the 2023 STEM for BRITAIN poster competition held in the House of Commons on March 6th. Arkady was among 20 researchers presenting their work to dozens of politicians and a panel of expert judges. Oxford Mathematician Oliver Bond was also shortlisted.
Arkady’s poster focused on his research in to the mathematical modelling of the filtration of harmful contaminants from liquids and gases. Polluted air is thought to be responsible for up to 10% of deaths worldwide, and as many as two billion people still do not have access to decontaminated drinking water.
Arkady, who is about to complete his DPhil (PhD) said: "As an industrial and applied mathematician, I have a passion for raising awareness about what we do, and the importance of our research. I’m less interested in maths for maths’ sake, and I want to produce something with real world, social impact. Today feels like a great success.”
STEM for BRITAIN aims to help politicians understand more about the UK’s thriving science and engineering base and rewards some of the strongest scientific and engineering research being undertaken in the UK. The gold medallist receives £1500 (and the medal, of course).
