In episode #41 of Living Proof, Dan Aspel speaks to Prof Herbert Gangl of the University of Durham. Herbert is not only a participant in the “K-theory, algebraic cycles and motivic homotopy theory” programme with a rich history of involvement in INI activities, but also the creator of the “Gems of Hypolytos”. These items of artwork and jewellery (which take their name from a condensation of the phrase “hyperbolic polytopes”), use “ideal tessellations” of hyperbolic 3-space “as a rich source of beautiful new polytopes”. The results, which Herbert has produced using his own 3D printers and has e ..read more

In episode #40 of Living Proof, Dan Aspel and Christie Marr speak to Prof Rama Govindarajan of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bengaluru. Prof Govindarajan is the Kirk Distinguished Visting Fellow for the “Mathematical aspects of turbulence” programme, and her specialism lies in fluid mechanics. However, she also has some enlightening personal experiences to share, including giving birth whilst being interviewed for a PHD course, the realities of being a female scientist in India past and India present, and the joys of mingling with scientists across and adjacent to her fi ..read more

In episode #39 of Living Proof, Dan Aspel and Plus magazine’s Dr Marianne Freiberger are joined by the irrepressible Prof Anita Layton of the University of Waterloo. A guest at INI for a week-long workshop on kinetic theory, Anita may just be one of the busiest people featured on the podcast so far. Not only does she lead “a diverse and interdisciplinary team of researchers” of her own, but she spends much of her downtime fostering diversity and mentorships throughout her networks, and is professionally engaged across disciplines as distinct as applied mathematics, computer science and the med ..read more

Antoine Gagnebin, a participant in the "Frontiers in kinetic equations for plasmas and collective behaviour" workshop from 25-29 April 2022, has made an exciting choice about his travel plans. Instead of taking the obvious route of flying from his home institution in Zurich to London, he's decided to travel by train to Amsterdam, and from there cycle to Cambridge via Calais and Dover. It's a journey of some 530km, assuming he takes the most direct route. So what inspired him to take on this adventure, how will he approach it, and what aspect is he most looking forward to? Find out in this shor ..read more

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In episode #37 of Living Proof, Dan Aspel and Christie Marr are joined by Professor Franca Hoffmann of the University of Bonn. Professor Hoffmann has spent much of the past decade working with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, its Quantum Leap Africa initiative, and a host of other groups and NGOs across the African continent, all focused on the support and pursuit of higher mathematics. And yet, in her own words, she’s still “very junior” at her home institution herself. So how did she - whilst still an undergraduate - find such mutually beneficial opportunities working far fro ..read more

In episode #36 of Living Proof, Dan Aspel and Christie Marr speak to Dr Nira Chamberlain. Dr Chamberlain has recently joined INI’s management committee, and his history up to this point is as interesting as it is inspiring. Fresh from a two year stint at the President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications he’s recently been awarded an OBE for services to Mathematics, he’s been named the “5th most influential black person in the UK”, “one of the UK’s most influential scientists”, and even “the world’s most interesting mathematician”. He’s got a fascinating story to tell about enc ..read more

Thanks to the generous support of the Simons Foundation, the newly established Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Mathematics are enabling "exceptional early career researchers in the mathematical sciences" to gain "experience, independence and new connections, and hence assist them during the present difficult situation of COVID-19 on their way to a successful academic career". In this episode of Living Proof, Dan Aspel speak to Dr Anagha Madhusudanan to learn about her journey through mathematics so far, and to find out what being awarded this Fellowship - which means spending six months on ..read more

Thanks to the generous support of the Simons Foundation, the newly established Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Mathematics are enabling "exceptional early career researchers in the mathematical sciences" to gain "experience, independence and new connections, and hence assist them during the present difficult situation of COVID-19 on their way to a successful academic career". In this episode of Living Proof, Dan Aspel speak to Dr Antoine Remond-Tiedrez to learn about his journey through mathematics so far, and to find out what being awarded this Fellowship - which means spending six months ..read more

The INI research programme "Cluster algebras and representation theory" (September to December 2021) is focused upon on "one of the most active research areas in Mathematics over the last 18 years". In this episode of Living Proof, Dan Aspel speaks to organisers Karin Baur (Leeds), Bethany Marsh (Leeds), Ralf Schiffler (Connecticut), and Sibylle Schroll (Cologne) to discover how they feel the programme has progressed so far, what successes it has already achieved, and what positive outcomes it may yet continue to yield. [please note that face masks were worn during this recording which affecte ..read more