Joint NZMS, AustMS and AMS meeting.
Lara Alcock — plenary at Joint Meeting
What is your name and what do you do?
I am a Professor in the Department of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University in the UK. I conduct research on mathematical thinking and learning in undergraduates and experts, I teach undergraduate mathematics and mathematics education, and I write research-informed books for undergraduates and for the general public.
Why do you do mathematics and was there someone in particular who motivated you to do mathematics?
I studied mathematics to master’s level because I have always loved the subject, its beauty and internal coherence. I was particularly influenced by my school teacher George Sutcliff, who gave me interesting things to think about and who supported me to do an A level in Further Mathematics even though it was not offered at my school. Then, when I started teaching while I was a graduate student, I realised that even more than mathematics itself, I was interested in how people think about mathematics. Now, I apply various methods, including those from cognitive psychology, to understand mathematical thinking.
What is a typical work day like for you?
It varies a lot. I work part-time due to caring responsibilities, and usually go to the office 2-3 days per week. I teach undergraduate mathematics – which keeps me connected to student thinking – and work with PhD students. I have also held various administrative roles, including head of department and impact coordinator, and these involve various meetings with colleagues inside and outside the department. My favourite work is writing, and I always try to attend our department’s weekly writing workshop.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
What better job could there be? I get to spend a decent chunk of my time studying what I want to study, working with brilliant colleagues and learning both more mathematics and more psychology. I enjoy the creativity of designing research studies and presenting and writing for different audiences.
How important is travelling?
I have always enjoyed the opportunity to see new places, though I travel less now due to responsibilities at home. It is stimulating to connect with colleagues with different backgrounds.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
Yes, follow what you are good at and believe is important and interesting. I have been advised several times in my career to move into a particular area because it is fashionable at the time or because it would help me to get promoted faster. It is important to be mindful of expectations in any job, of course, but I have always ignored this advice that would have taken me away from my primary interests, and I have never regretted doing so.
Priya Subramanian — plenary at Joint Meeting
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Priya Subramanian and I am a lecturer at the University of Auckland. I work in the area of pattern formation, i.e., I try to understand the formation of spatio-temporal patterns using minimal models.
Why do you do mathematics?
I use mathematics to try and understand the world around me, as it allows for a stripped-back, minimal view of the phenomenon. Such an analysis then allows the answers we get to be applicable to be common with other seemingly disparate phenomena.
Was there someone in particular who motivated you to do mathematics?
From my school days, many of my mentors have motivated me in how they approach and solve a problem. I have tried to learn from each of them, so there isn’t one specific person who motivated me.
What is a typical work day like for you?
A typical day for me starts with checking emails and arxiv, after which if it is semester time, there will be teaching preparation and teaching. I will also meet with students who are doing a research project with me for weekly discussions on their progress. I try to have lunch with students and other colleagues in the department. Most of my afternoons are usually filled with working on the latest project/idea and very often involve writing programs to perform numerical computations.
Has this changed between the different stages of your career?
Definitely, my workdays have changed with the different stages of my career. As a post-doc, I had only a few research projects and not many students or teaching. That made it possible to spend a few days on a single project/idea without having to change tracks. I did not realise how much of a luxury that is at that time!
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
Research is based on the ability to question current ideas, to reimagine models in order to try and explain observations. I thrive on such an out-of-the-box way of approaching life/mathematics and so I find research very rewarding. Especially when I finally understand a result and can explain an observation, that makes the hours and hours of frustration/being stuck all worthwhile!
How important is travelling?
Experiencing the work/research culture in multiple locations is very important to all researchers. Having moved both scientifically from Aerospace Engineering to Physics to Applied Mathematics and geographically from South India to Germany to UK to NZ, I have always benefited from being exposed to new people, research groups and research culture. I think that we all should take available opportunities to visit and participate in other research locations to work with different people. It is also the place where we will find new friends and mentors.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
I wrote a short article about my experience being a post-doc for eight years, which talk about what I think helped me survive the post-doc years of uncertainty.
I point the readers to this link: https://unesco.org.uk/being-a-post-doc-surviving-the-journeyman-years/
What advice would you give a younger version of yourself?
I think that doing research is very similar to being self-employed. One has to not only sell the idea and get funding but the earlier we get comfortable with this idea and get experience in each part of this cycle, the better. There is no shame in trying to sell the idea that we think is deserving of funding. So do the work and spread the word about the results.
Katharine Turner — plenary at Joint Meeting
What is your name and what do you do?
Name: Katharine Turner
Position: Associate Professor in the Mathematical Sciences Institute at the Australian National University. It is a mixture of research, teaching, and administrative responsibilities.
Why do you do mathematics?
I find it intuitive and less work than other disciplines. I enjoy the puzzle-solving flavour of it. When mixed with statistics you to play around in the backyards of other disciplines which is fun.
What is a typical work day like for you?
After checking my email for any emergencies, I used to start my day with a list of priority activities. Now I advocate for time blocking – over my second morning coffee I assign set periods of time to different tasks. They are guesstimates of how long things take but it helps stop procrastination.
Most of my time is spent trying to finish whatever immediate deadline is coming up such as preparing lectures, grading exams, writing a talk or a grant application, or finishing up some calculation or proof I have promised would be done for a collaborator I’m meeting with that day. This is interspersed with meetings with students and endless emails with administrivia. As my career has progressed, I have had to be more proactive in jealously guarding time to work on my own (solo) papers.
What keeps you in research? Have you had to overcome any barriers or problems?
I just really enjoy doing mathematics and getting to collaborate with wonderful people. Most of my barriers and problems stem from balancing with external responsibilities (including family).
How important is travelling?
For me travel is crucial for keeping up with the field. I just don’t have the time required to learn everything from reading papers. I rely upon both the talks and the conversations over coffee. Being in-person also enables deeper discussions about the philosophy and direction of the field.
Do you have any advice for others who are starting a mathematical career?
You’ll never have more time to deeply dive into a mathematical problem than you do now. Enjoy it.