WIMSIG NEWSLETTER — August 2022
Foundation Meeting of Asia Oceania Women in Mathematics (AOWM)
On Monday 1 August, the Foundation Meeting of Asia Oceania Women in Mathematics (AOWM) was held. AOWM is a new group which aims to support women in mathematics in the region. The Foundation Meeting was attended by more than 120 people from across Asia and Oceania, and featured a wonderful talk from Prof Nalini Joshi (USyd). The AOWM Coordinator for Australia is Kerri Morgan (Deakin).
Congratulations to Susan Scott
Distinguished Professor Susan Scott (ANU) has been elected as a Fellow of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (ISGRG) for 2022. She is the first Australian to join this elite Fellowship, comprising approximately 50 top international scientists in the field of gravity, including Stephen Hawking and Nobel Laureates Roger Penrose and Kip Thorne.
- ANU physicist making waves in space joins top global society — ANU Newsroom
- Distinguished Professor says it’s time Australia makes waves above gravity — The Australian
- Australia needs gravity-wave detector to boost scientific standing, says professor — The Sydney Morning Herald
- Distinguished Professor Susan Scott says Australia needs a gravitational wave detector — The Canberra Times
Nalini Joshi re-elected to IMU Executive Committee
Congratulations to Prof Nalini Joshi (USyd), who has been elected to the Executive Committee of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) as a Member-at-Large for 2023–2026. This follows Nalini’s term as IMU Vice-President from 2019–2022.
Fields Medal 2022
Congratulations to Maryna Viazovska for winning the Fields Medal 2022 for her work on sphere-packing in 8 dimensions. She is the second woman ever to win a Fields Medal — the highest honour in mathematics.
Ladyzhenskaya Prize in Mathematical Physics (OAL Prize)
Congratulations to Svetlana Jitomirskaya for being awarded the inaugural Ladyzhenskaya Prize in Mathematical Physics (OAL Prize) for her seminal and deep contributions to the spectral theory of almost periodic Schrödinger operators.
Vale Lynn Batten
Emeritus Professor Lynn Batten (Deakin University) sadly passed away on July 28 after a long illness. She was a leader in mathematics and cyber security, and served on the WIMSIG Executive Committee 2015–2016. She will be missed as a colleague and a friend.
OPPORTUNITIES
The Sydney Mathematical Research Institute (SMRI) International Visitor Program
IVP2022 Round 2 applications are now open. Researchers in the mathematical sciences from international and Australian universities who wish to do research at SMRI, either individually or as part of a group of collaborators, are warmly invited to apply.
This round is for visits taking place between July 2023–June 2024 for general applicants, and March 2023–June 2024 for Australian citizens/permanent residents and New Zealand citizens.
Applications will close on Tuesday 9 August 2022 (11:59pm AEST).
Applications with the information requested in the terms and conditions can be made through the webform found on the IVP webpage.
Applications from female and gender-diverse researchers, researchers employed in developing countries and/or researchers belonging to other groups which are under-represented in the mathematical sciences, are particularly encouraged.
University of South Australia
- 2 x Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences – Level A/B (full time, continuing)
— Closing date: Monday 15 August, 2022
The University of Adelaide
- Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Statistics, Data Science, Stochastic Modelling (fixed term, 3yrs)
— Closing date: Sunday 21 August, 2022
Get involved in WIMSIG!
We are looking for WIMSIG members who would like to get more involved in some of our activities. Here are some ways you could contribute to WIMSIG’s goals of supporting women, trans and gender diverse people in the mathematical sciences in Australia:
- WIMSIG Treasurer (from January 2023)
- WIMSIG Newsletter Editor (from January 2023)
- Ordinary Member of the WIMSIG Executive Committee (from January 2023)
- Member of the Selection Committee, which decides on outcomes for the WIMSIG Cheryl E. Praeger Travel Award, the WIMSIG Anne Penfold Street Award and the AustMS-WIMSIG Maryam Mirzakhani Award (from mid-2022 or later)
- Member of the WIMSIG Mentoring Committee, which runs the WIMSIG Mentoring Scheme (from January 2023)
If you are interested in any of these roles, or would like more information, please email WIMSIG Chair, Catherine Greenhill (WIMSIG-chair@austms.org.au). Even if you’re just curious about possibly doing any of these roles in the future, we would love to hear from you.
MEDIA
- Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) Statement on Roe v Wade (June 2022)
- The peer review system is broken. We asked academics how to fix it, The Conversation — July 25, 2022
- Women’s job opportunities in the spotlight at Albanese’s summit, The Conversation — July 11, 2022
- Scientists from historically excluded groups face a hostile obstacle course, Nature Geoscience — Dec 23, 2021
Have you read an interesting article? Have some news? Have an opportunity available?
Please send items to WIMSIG-news@austms.org.au.
Note: Newsletters are published on the 1st day of each month (or soon after). The deadline for submitted items is the 27th day of each month.
To keep in touch in between newsletters, follow @wimsigAU on Twitter.