Vivien Challis
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Vivien Challis, I am an Associate Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics at Queensland University of Technology. My main research focusses on developing computational methods for the solution of engineering design problems. This links into finite element methods, solid mechanics, material design, optimisation and high-performance computing, as well as to collaborations with engineers on interesting problems. I’m also a mum to two kids!
Why do you do mathematics?
I was naturally good at mathematics at school, and wanted to study science and mathematics. In my first semester at university I studied mathematics, physics, chemistry and scientific programming. I immediately stopped doing physics and got hooked on how powerful computational mathematics and scientific programming are for solving interesting problems. That is what started me on a path to become a computational mathematician.
What is a typical work day like for you?
This can vary a lot, depending on whether I’m in the midst of a busy teaching semester or not. I tend to have quite a lot of meetings, a lot more than I did as a younger academic. My most fun meetings are about research. I also have teaching meetings (and teach classes), and I am currently the Academic Lead for Diversity and Inclusion within our School, so I contribute to School and Faculty meetings in that capacity as well. When I’m not in meetings, I’m trying to tick things off my seemingly-never-ending to-do list! This can include preparing teaching materials, communicating with undergraduate students, providing feedback to research students, responding to emails, applying for and managing grants, etc. My day often ends with rushing out the door to get home in time to meet my kids.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
I enjoy solving problems to gain new insights. Research for me is also very much about enjoying working with colleagues and students, and mentoring the next generation of computational mathematicians.
Combining work with motherhood is challenging. There were times when I almost gave up on my research career because it seemed too hard to balance these two aspects of my life. I have been fortunate to have great mentors and supervisors who have supported me through those challenges, and I’m glad I kept at it.
How important is travelling?
It is important, especially when you are just starting out. For me, balancing work and motherhood has meant that I haven’t done anywhere near as much travel since I had my kids. When I do get to travel for work, I enjoy it and I try to make the most of it in terms of connecting with other researchers.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
There are different ways to be successful in your career as an academic or researcher. Try to find a way to be successful that matches who you are, including your strengths and your values. You don’t have to do it someone else’s way. Don’t underestimate yourself!
Rebecca Chisholm
What is your name and what do you do?
I’m a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University in the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. I have a continuing teaching and research position: I usually coordinate 3 or 4 undergraduate subjects each year and my research involves modelling the transmission and control of infectious diseases.
Why do you do mathematics?
I was good at mathematics as a student (and by “good” I mean that I got good grades). I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do for a career, so I kept persisting with the thing that I was good at, and 20 years later I am still persisting with it! I also really enjoy the process of doing applied mathematical research, particularly mathematical modelling. I like breaking down complex problems into manageable chunks, discovering the logical consequences of a set of assumptions, and gaining new understanding of a complex system from knowledge of how its controlling mechanisms interact.
What is a typical work day like for you?
Teaching focused tasks generally take priority during Semester which can include lots of emails, designing assessments, marking, preparing for classes/lectures, teaching, managing casual teaching staff, creating new learning materials. Some days I might also
- have some research project meetings where I either have a supervisory role in the project or a collaborative role;
- do some research which could involve writing grant applications, thinking about a problem, providing feedback on pieces of work, writing or reading papers, or actually doing some modelling, coding or even math (those are good days)!
- do some academic service activities, e.g., reviewing a paper, organizing an event
- do some admin things, e.g., reporting, participating in committee/department meetings
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
The enjoyment, as well as the potential impact it might have on society.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
- Find or create connections where you can between research projects (unless you are lucky enough to avoid changing research areas between PhD and postdoc, or between postdoc positions).
- Craft a narrative of an intentional career path, even if it is a bit random!
- Become an expert in something
- Identify evidence to rebut imposter syndrome
- Find good career mentors and supportive peers who understand the challenges of Academia
- For the applied mathematicians: if you can’t make the data, find good scientists who can, and foster those collaborations
- You have to be in it to win it: apply for that grant, promotion, position, submit your manuscript to the big journal, even if the odds of success seem low (they are probably higher than you think).
Seirin Lee
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Sungrim Seirin-Lee. I am originally from Korea, but I have spent most of my life in Japan, so please call me by my Japanese name, Seirin (which is actually my first name in Japan). I work at Kyoto University as a Professor and Principal Investigator (PI). Although I am a mathematician, my secondary affiliation is with the Graduate School of Medicine. As you might guess, I work in the field of mathematical medicine.
Why do you do mathematics?
My first inspiration that led me to become a mathematician was Alan Turing and Prof. Matano, who introduced me to Turing’s theory. I was greatly inspired by Turing’s elegant and groundbreaking idea for pattern formation. Since learning about Turing’s theory on pattern formation, my ideal as a researcher has been to think in ways that biologists and physicians could never imagine. I love creating mathematical models because it allows me to build something NEW—a new concept, a new theory, and a new discovery. I also love doing mathematics because it always lets me enter my “creative world.”
What is a typical work day like for you?
My lifestyle completely changed after my son came into my life. Before he was born, I usually went to the office around 10 a.m. and worked until midnight. Managing my time and life was simple back then. However, after my son arrived, my life completely shifted to align with his schedule. Even now, I commute 250 km one way every day by Shinkansen, the super express train in Japan, because my son wants to live in the city where he was born, and I advanced my career by moving to Kyoto University. Until my son turned 10 years old, I always restricted my business trips. Now that he is 12 years old and quite independent, I am able to travel as freely as I did before he was born.
Currently, my daily schedule is as follows:
- 5:30 a.m.: Wake up and think for 30 minutes.
- 6:00-7:30 a.m.: Prepare and have breakfast with my son.
- 7:30-9:30 a.m.: Commute to the university and work on the train and bus.
- 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Research time.
- 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Lunch with lab members or my secretary.
- 1:30-4:30 p.m.: Meetings for research, administrative tasks, or politics ;-).
- 4:30-6:30 p.m.: Commute home and work on the bus and train.
- 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Prepare and have dinner.
- 8:30-9:30 p.m.: Bath time (relaxation time).
- 9:30-10:00 p.m.: Stretching and resistance training.
- 10:00-10:30 p.m.: Relax in bed and sleep.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
Take on challenges that seem like mission impossible and cannot be solved using conventional approaches.
How important is travelling?
It is extremely important to interact with other researchers, share ideas, gain new information, stay updated on the latest research trends, and make new friends.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
Love your work, enjoy your work, and always do your best. Never give up!
However, never forget what your priorities in life are and what makes you truly happy.
Hinke Osinga
** note that Hinke also answered these same questions back in 2018 when she was the Hanna Neumann Lecturer for the AustMS 2018 conference. You can see her answers to these questions from 2018 (and see what has changed, what hasn’t changed!) here: /austms-2018-qa/#Osinga
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Hinke Osinga and I am Professor in Applied Mathematics at the University of Auckland (NZ).
Why do you do mathematics?
I never expected to end up as a mathematician, and certainly not in academia. I chose to study mathematics mainly because I liked geometry. I still like geometry and I generate new mathematical results primarily by using a geometric understanding of the problem. I combine dynamical systems theory with numerical analysis, that is, I develop new mathematical methods to investigate and explore new ideas. I very much enjoy this interplay between numerics and theory, and will grab every opportunity to visualise and illustrate the geometric structures that underlie dynamic behaviour.
What is a typical work day like for you?
The last time I was asked this question, I started my answer with: “For as long as I can remember, I start every day with making a (virtual) list of things I want to achieve that day. And for as long as I can remember, I never actually do the things on my list.” I am still starting with my list, and I still never actually follow it! Things have changed over the years, though; for one, I do write down high-priority actions on my list, because I no longer remember the items on it as easily as I used to. Of course, this means that I now have written evidence of even high-priority actions that I rarely get to… . Over the years, I have gotten more disciplined about what I spend my time on: A typical day will start with responding to emails, which I try to do only about three times a day, namely, in the morning, just after lunch, and before I go home. I have found that I work best in the morning, so I try to save this time for writing papers or doing some computations to do with my research. Meetings with my students are ideally scheduled immediately after lunch or towards the end of my working day. My afternoons are otherwise filled with administrative tasks, preparing lectures, setting an assignment, handling my editorial duties, or reading papers or, more likely, documentation for committee work. Despite my disciplined approach, I often cannot find my mojo in the morning, or I get interrupted for other pressing reasons, so that I am still far less productive with my writing than I would like.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
My research group, my academic children, the team. I am acutely aware how much influence I have on the life and career of a young PhD student, and I am glad that I am still sufficiently confident to take on this challenge. During my career, I have often been told that I had to produce single-author papers to prove my worth and show clear evidence of my own mathematical promise. Even then, I thought such advice was just plain stupid. It is much more fun to work with others, to bounce ideas off others and to shape the result into a logical and coherent story that highlights its essence, consequence and potential impact. A long time ago, I applied for my very first lectureship; it was at the University of Bath in the UK. During the interview, I was asked what my contribution was in the papers I had written with my, by now long-time and most trusted collaborator Bernd Krauskopf (and husband too, but this story took place almost a decade before we got married). I must admit that I did not understand the question: if two authors publish a paper then, surely, they had an equal share in its production? “No, no,” the interviewer said: “who had the ideas, who led the research?” And then it clicked: these papers were a direct follow-up from my PhD research, so they wondered why Bernd was involved at all! I ended up fiercely defending my co-author, that he had had ideas too and that the research was a wonderful collaborative effort. I was really gutted that I did not get the job…
How important is travelling?
I still consider participation in conferences and workshops a very important part of my job. Interacting with other researchers helps me to get new ideas and to create time for working on these ideas. As an early-career researcher, you do have to work hard to initiate and foster such contacts, to build your network. Initially, this is not just for getting ideas; you should also look for opportunities to meet colleagues who could be your reference for future job applications and promotions. Later on, as the contacts have already grown into a substantial network, the personal interactions make it far easier to catch up and stay abreast of recent developments in the field.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
Having watched the movie `The Substance’ with Demi Moore, I doubt if my younger self would take any advice from me! I got a lot of inspiration from Demi Moore’s character in the 1997 movie `GI Jane’ which probably says something about the male-dominated environment I found myself in at that time… . There are three important lessons I took from `GI Jane’:
- When your partner is not supportive of your career plans, you dump your partner (absolutely: it is not worth trying to maintain a relationship with someone who does not believe in you, however much you are sure you love this person to bits);
- When your male colleagues try to put you down, harass you, or downright discriminate against you, you fight back (it took me a while to realise that my instinct of what is right or wrong is correct, even when my sensible self thinks that the behaviour is what `normal’ men do);
- Your mates have your back (OMG, that was the best bit in the movie! Realising that those men on GI Jane’s team too did not approve of certain behaviours and boy, did they make this known towards the end of the movie.).
The third lesson has been and still is very important: you have to surround yourself with people, not only women, who speak up on your behalf when you cannot. In a black-and-white world, you should not assume that women are good, and men are bad; you need male supporters, not only to get sufficient numbers on your team, but also because men are much better trailblazers for the men who do not get it yet.
Perhaps there is a lesson 4: in the movie, Demi Moore ends up looking like the men; this is a very good defence mechanism if you are the only female on the team, which I was for a long time. I still believe in the existence of a full-colour world, though, where women do not have to act like the men and the team accepts all its members for who they are.
Jean Yang
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Jean Yang and I am a Professor of Statistics and Bioinformatics at the University of Sydney. I am an applied statistician and data scientist specialising in the development of data-driven approaches to deepen our understanding of biology and medicine.
Why do you do mathematics?
The most exciting thing about mathematics is the breadth of its application. A pivotal moment in my journey into mathematical sciences came during a summer internship at CSIRO, where I was introduced to real-world problems while working on a project to identify “road cracks” in images using the shortest path algorithm. This experience sparked my interest in the practical applications of mathematical and statistical methods. This interest was further cultivated during my PhD studies, where I was immersed in an environment focused on critical thinking and innovation. Today, I am driven by the opportunity to work at the intersection of statistics, data science, and biomedicine, where I apply innovative mathematical and statistical solutions to tackle data challenges arising from high-dimension and complex data.
What is a typical work day like for you?
Early in my career, there was no such thing as a typical day. Balancing work and life was my top priority. One of the things I appreciate most about academia is the flexibility it offers. I am incredibly thankful to my school and department for enabling this. While I still don’t have a standard daily routine, I organise my schedule so that certain days are dedicated to teaching activities, while other days are set aside for research.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
I love my job and I enjoy the challenge associated with problem solving. This probably led me to pursue a PhD/etc and it continues to motivate me to develop new methods and tools for scientists to get the most of their data. However, early in my career, I also realised that I was not able to solve these problems alone. Complex problems require contributions from multiple disciplines. Over the past decade, I have focused on breaking barriers and addressing bottlenecks in interdisciplinary research by fostering communication between disciplines. This has enabled me to initiate and lead several large interdisciplinary projects involving multiple institutions. An example is a single-cell project in collaboration with Cambridge, Cornell, and Shanghai Jiao Tong universities, which explores novel analytical frameworks to uncover higher-order gene interactions, such as correlations along a single-cell trajectory or in spatial contexts.
How important is travelling?
I enjoy travelling for research meetings and conferences, both within my discipline and in domain-specific areas. Travelling not only broadens my research vision by exposing me to diverse perspectives but also provides valuable opportunities for collaboration. However, earlier in my career, family commitments limited my ability to undertake extensive travel. During this period, I prioritised maintaining strong international connections and collaborative research through video conferencing platforms. Things have improved significantly for me now, and for many of the conferences I organise, I strive to ensure that flexible parental support systems are in place to help others balance networking with parenthood.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
Rather than advice, these are two things I would like to share with my younger self:
- Keep your passion for research – solving a problem you deeply care about is where the real fulfilment and excitement come from.
- I cannot emphasise enough the power of collaboration and networking. Working with people from different backgrounds and expertise can reveal new insights and approaches that you may not have considered on your own.