Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

OCIAM is now inviting applications from students interested in tackling mathematically rich problems with real-world impact. Our researchers work across theory, computation, modelling and data-driven approaches, with expertise ranging from fluid dynamics and industrial processes to biology, neuroscience, networks and machine learning.

Because a strong DPhil application is usually aligned with a specific supervisor or research group, we are highlighting examples of ongoing work within OCIAM. Prospective students are encouraged to contact our faculty to discuss potential supervision.

prizes | media | podcasts | public lectures 

| MEDIA:  Folding under tension...don't we all! 

Buckling and folding can be positive forces and are common in nature. Marc Suñé explains.

 | PUBLIC LECTURE  

The Geometry of Nature and the Shape of Things

Join Professor Alain Goriely at Gresham College for a new series of public lectures exploring how geometry shapes the natural world. Following his acclaimed talks on How the Brain Works — and How It Breaks, this next series turns to the mathematics of form, pattern, and beauty.

Through clear, captivating, and often humorous storytelling, Alain reveals the mathematical principles behind the shapes that define our universe — from the symmetry of living organisms to the spirals of seashells and the tiling of planetary surfaces.

These six lectures uncover how simple ideas such as symmetry, chirality, self-similarity, and tiling explain the complexity of nature — bridging abstract mathematics with biology, physics, and art.

Accessible, inspiring, and free to all, the series invites audiences to see the world through a mathematical eye and discover how geometry connects everything from microscopic molecules to celestial bodies.

Watch the series at Gresham College