Fatemeh Ansarizadeh

Swinburne University

Interview conducted by Masoud Kamgarpour for the Gazette of the AustMS (PDF)

1. When did you first become interested in mathematics?

When I started high school, it dawned on me that I can sit for hours and hours struggling with complicated mathematical problems, without getting tired or bored. The pleasure and satisfaction of being lost in maths were beyond anything else I had experienced. I was lucky to have a highly encouraging teacher who guided me throughout this journey.  Additionally, I had wonderful friends who were intelligent and hardworking students.

In fact, in Iran there are many smart and successful women who are outperforming men in engineering and mathematics. I was a part of and a beneficiary of this environment in my teenage years. Being an outstanding student, I always received complements from my parents and teachers, which further motivated me to work even harder.

To this day, a mathematical problem can mesmerise me to a degree that makes me forget about my surroundings. I do not consider working with mathematics as just a job and derive tremendous satisfaction from dealing with complicated mathematical problems and coding.  

2. Could you tell us about your life and career path so far?

I was blessed to be born in a family that placed high emphasis on education. Before I commenced primary school, my mother had taught me the alphabet. I have vivid memories of my childhood when I was practicing reading my first sentences. At that time, fancy colourful books were not common in Iran and I used to gather any parts of newspapers that I could find and learn new words, a habit that has stayed with me throughout my life.

I obtained my Master’s degree in electrical engineering in Iran. After a couple of years of working in the industry, I realised that my brain craved more mathematics! Therefore, I commenced my Ph.D. in mathematics at Swinburne University focusing on an applied mathematical project involving concepts which were totally new to me. In particular, I needed to learn some biology since my project was on modelling cancer cells regression in response to chemotherapy. Initially, some of my colleagues were surprised when they heard about my research background. But with effort, everything is possible! I completed my Ph.D. on time and my thesis was accepted by the referees immediately without any revisions. Much to my delight, my Ph.D. research was published in the “Applied Mathematical Modelling” journal. 

3. What does your current research involve? 

Currently, I am about to finish a research fellowship with an excellent team at Deakin University. Since my performance was above satisfactory, my supervisors suggested that I start a new Ph.D. in machine learning and artificial intelligence, starting in October 2020. At this stage, my focus is on heterogenous scene understanding in graph neural networks. 

4. How do you achieve a balance between your work and life?

I usually get up around 6 am in the morning. The first thing I do is a 30 minute exercise routine and then I start doing some chores and preparing food. By 9 am, I have completed all my chores and the rest of day is mine! 

I spend most of the day on mathematics. In the evening, I enjoying watching some TV and chatting to friends and family. By the conclusion of the day I am usually so exhausted that I fall asleep with ease at around 11:30. The inner satisfaction I get because of my productive day allows me to have a sound sleep, preparing me for another day. 

5. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? 

I think about this almost every day. I have written my most important goals on a piece of paper which I keep beside me on my desk, so that I may regularly view my goals. I believe that my potentials and hard work should pave the way for a bright future. Hopefully, I will be a senior data scientist and be able to collaborate with leading universities. Besides my career, I feel that being a kind and wise mother will complete my life as a woman.  

6. What advice would you offer to young women who are just starting their careers in the mathematical sciences? 

In the modern world, there are many distractions for young people, especially for young women. I believe that in order to be successful it is important that one thinks of long-term satisfaction, rather than being drawn into instant satisfaction. By maintaining their focus on long term objectives and having a clearly devised plan, one can move towards and attain their career goals. I am blessed because my friends have had similar experiences and have similar goals as myself. Sharing thoughts and experiences with them gives me renewed hope and strength, enhancing my chances of achieving success in my academic endeavours. 

7. How has your experience doing mathematics in Australia been so far?

In Australia, there are lots of facilities and opportunities for doing mathematics. During my Ph.D., I received several scholarships for summer and winter schools, involving wonderful lectures by outstanding professors. However, I have noticed that in Australia there are not as many job opportunities in mathematics as there are in other countries, and I hope that this trend will soon change as Australia’s economy transitions into one which is more technologically driven. I believe that many companies will benefit from hiring mathematicians as analytical reasoning has proven to be an important factor for ingenuity and progress.

8. What achievements are you most proud of?  

I have had many achievements and received numerous certificates during my studies, but the one which I am most proud of is winning the prestigious Maryam Mirzakhani Award conferred by the Australian Mathematical Society. I am very proud of winning this award since the late Maryam Mirzakhani was one of my heroines during my high school years. She blossomed in a male-dominated society and is a role model for all women who believe in their abilities and aim to break the glass ceilings of their societies.