News

In January 2009 Tsou Sheung Tsun was elected President of CIMPA (International Centre for Pure and Applied Mathematics). This is a UNESCO Centre, mainly supported by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and is based in Nice. Its mission is to promote research in the mathematical sciences in the developing world.

Junaid Mubeen won the 59th series on countdown on 12 December 2008 on last programme to be hosted by Des O'Connor and Carol Vordermann. He has been an Oxford mathematics student and a member of St Anne's College, since 2003.

Junaid completed an MMath degree in 2007 and is now studying for a DPhil. His supervisor, Professor Charles Batty, said "I shall be delighted if he is as successful in his mathematical research as he has been in his television appearances".

Rachel Riley, Oriel 2004, is to fill the role vacated by Carol Vordermann on the popular quiz show Countdown.

See the Times Online article for more details.

Professor Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, has been appointed to the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science. The Charles Simonyi Professorship was established in 1995 and is held jointly between the Department for Continuing Education and the post-holder’s disciplinary department in the University. The new appointment will take effect from 1 December 2008.

Further information available

Oxford Mathematicians in the City is a new network that aims to bring together Oxford alumni who share a mathematics education and a professional interest in the field of finance and business. We hope that this inaugural event on Tuesday 7th October 2008 will lead to further and regular networking events and a greater sense of unity amongst our alumni.

For further information see the event poster

Professor Marcus du Sautoy has a new four part TV series, The Story of Maths, starting at 9pm (this time is provisional) on Monday 6 October on BBC4.

Marcus has travelled around the world, to take viewers through a 30,000 year history of maths.

We are pleased to announce the following awards:

Lifetime Achievement Awards go to Dr David Acheson and Dr Peter Neumann O.B.E.

A New Appointee Award goes to Prof Tom Witelski.

Teaching Development Awards go to Dr Jan Grabowski, Prof Roger Heath-Brown, Prof Alison Etheridge, Prof Victor Flynn, and Dr Anne Henke

Congratulations to Michael Collins, John Lennox, and John Ockendon on the conferment of the title of Professor of Mathematics, and to Andrew Dancer and Xenia de la Ossa on the conferment of the title Reader in Mathematics.

Terry Lyons is to present an IMS Medallion Lecture at the 2010 SPA meeting in Osaka, Japan.

Each year eight Medallion Lecturers are chosen across all areas of statistics and probability by the IMS Committee on Special Lectures. The Medallion nomination is an honour and an acknowledgement of a significant research contribution to one or more areas of research.