The campaign to Protect Pure Maths is proud to have the support of many notable mathematicians and organisations.
Founding Supporters
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Professor Jon Keating
“The examples of Ada Lovelace, Sir Roger Penrose, and Alan Turing show that there is no clear delineation between pure maths and its practical, and often profoundly important, applications. That is why we have contributed to establishing Protect Pure Maths, to promote pure mathematics and to encourage universities to invest in the subject, so that the UK continues to benefit from its rich heritage and to produce world-leading mathematicians.”
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Alex Gerko, Founder and co-CEO at XTX Markets
“Myself and a large number of my colleagues built our careers upon the foundation of our pure math studies and we are pleased to be supporting the campaign to Protect Pure Maths and to help promote the subject in the UK. STEM skills are crucial for the UK’s productivity, and a shortage of STEM skills in the workforce is one of our key economic problems – our future relies on our children taking up STEM subjects, which is why Pure Maths should be protected at all costs.”
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Rachel Barnes, Alan Turing's great niece
“Without Alan Turing’s abilities during World War Two, our world would be very different today. My family are all so proud of the legacy of Alan Turing and he is now even on the £50 note.
To honour that legacy we must keep funding and supporting pure maths – the subject at which my great uncle excelled and which was the bedrock his achievements was built on.
”I believe it is vital that young people who show a talent for pure maths should be able to study it at its highest level at university. This will keep our country leading in the area of mathematics and also science.”
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Dr Nira Chamberlain, President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) and Professional Mathematical Modeller
“The IMA would be happy to support an initiative to present the value of mathematics as a whole and pure mathematics in particular.
Albert Einstein once said that “Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas” and in my opinion, this is true.
We are all mathematicians, and at this time Pure mathematicians are feeling the pressure. They are part of the mathematical family and as a family, we should stand side by side with our brothers and sisters.
To those who think we can have a better society by reducing Pure mathematical activity, I say this…
“All of mathematics is important, you cannot target one without hurting the other!”
Mathematics teaches Science to Scientists, Engineering to Engineers, Technology to technologist. When mathematics is strong, the UK economy becomes stronger.
I end it here by saying this:
We need mathematics. We need Pure mathematics!”
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Professor Ulrike Tillmann, LMS President
“Pure mathematics deals with problems in the abstract. Stripped away from any worldly meaning solutions are found from first principles. Those who engage with mathematics in this way will not only discover the intrinsic beauty and power of pure thought and logic but also build their own abilities to work in the abstract, grow their confidence to solve the seemingly impossible, and expand their endurance for penetrating the intractable with imagination.
Many will use their specialist knowledge to find new ways to approach real life problems. Others will simply use their enhanced powers for rigour and abstraction.”
Academia
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Professor Marcus du Sautoy
“The example of Turing’s work on Engima illustrates perfectly why we need blue skies mathematics. Before the war he was working on something called the Riemann hypothesis, a very knotty mathematical question involving prime numbers and not seen as having obvious real world applications. But that work would prove to be the foundations for all the things he did at Bletchley Park where the Engima code was cracked.
”Maths that doesn’t have an obvious application can suddenly be key to pressing issues facing society or humanity. It’s never clear where breakthroughs will come from.”
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Professor Sarah Hart
“As a mathematician, author and public speaker, I support the Protect Pure Maths campaign.
The universe is bursting with underlying structure, pattern, and symmetry, and those are what mathematics is fundamentally about. This means that mathematics is vitally important to science and technology. But that is not what mathematics is for. Being creatures of the universe, we have an inherent appreciation of mathematics; we have delighted in exploring mathematical ideas for millennia, across every culture and in every time, for their own sake, because they are beautiful and important in their own right. Every form of our creative expression is rich in mathematical connections, whether that’s the rhythmic patterns of music, the symmetry of art, or the structures in poetry and fiction. The history of mathematics, too, is filled with fascinating stories and people. It illuminates just how much mathematics has been, and remains, a cultural touchstone in every area of creative life.
I hope that the Protect Pure Maths initiative can help more people to get past the idea that maths is just doing hard sums, or that the only maths worth doing is that with immediate utility. I want everyone to be able to see the beauty in mathematics. That’s why I’m supporting the PPM campaign.”
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Sir Tim Gowers
“Pure mathematics is a subject that has captured the imagination for thousands of years, and it figures prominently amongst the cultural achievements we most celebrate. But it can also be justified on more pragmatic grounds: the societies that most value pure mathematical research are also the ones that have excelled at discovering and developing mathematical applications that have transformed our lives. This is no coincidence, since letting people pursue their curiosity creates a background of broad mathematical expertise that hugely facilitates scientific and technological progress. A society that supports pure mathematics is much richer for it, both culturally and economically.”
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Dr. Katie Steckles
“Working to communicate maths to the public, it's apparent that many people are unaware of the breadth of different areas within mathematics, and the sheer scale of what we can accomplish with it. While pure maths sits alongside applied maths, statistics and many other wonderful areas, it's unique in that its results don't necessarily have immediate or tangible applications - and while this isn't a failing of pure maths, it can mean it's difficult to motivate funding into pure mathematical research. It's also easier for universities to justify disinvesting in pure maths, and I feel that's short-sighted and counterproductive. Some of the most beautiful, elegant ideas in mathematics originate in pure maths, and while they might turn out to be useful later on, it's also important to investigate and discover these things anyway, so we can comprehend the universe a little better. This is something I always try to get across when I talk about maths to people, and it's why I'm supporting this campaign to protect pure maths.”
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Howard Covington, Chair of The Alan Turing Institute
“When you scratch the surface of many awe-inspiring discoveries you find a thick layer of mathematics underneath. That layer is itself built on the superbly imaginative creations of pure mathematicians.
Integrated circuits provide the physical bedrock for the digital technology that now powers half the economy. This has fuelled the boom in big data and AI and set the stage for quantum computing. Integrated circuits and quantum computing rely on maths discovered by pure mathematicians more than a century ago.
Some great new tech breakthrough is almost certainly going to ride on the maths invented since then. If we want to be at the forefront of tech, then we must be a leader in pure maths.”
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Minhyong Kim, Christopher Zeeman Professor of Algebra, Geometry, and Public Understanding of Mathematics
“The philosopher A. N. Whitehead wrote that nothing in the modern world would have astonished a Greek mathematician more than to learn that a large proportion of people could perform the operation of division. Pure mathematics is concerned with ideas and conceptual tools whose true impact takes hundreds and sometime thousands of years to be realised and disseminated in the world at large. Calculus, now taught in A-level maths, was developed by Newton and Leibniz in the 17th century and eventually applied to all areas of science and engineering, most recently to the design of intelligent machines. Complex numbers were discovered while solving simple equations in the Renaissance era, and eventually found in nature with the advent of quantum mechanics in the 20th century.
Not all mathematics researched now is going be as important as these ground-breaking discoveries. However, for such essential ideas to flourish, what is important is the maintenance of a rich and diverse intellectual ecosystem that enables researchers to produce ideas of depth, beauty, and structural integrity. This is what Protect Pure Maths is about.”
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Ben Sparks
“The art of mathematics seems misunderstood to those not regularly exploring it. The fact that generations of humans have pursued its intricacies for beauty's sake, without caring whether it is used in any concrete way, gives it valid status alongside any other creative art. The fact that these intricacies ALSO regularly provide useful applications, across all disciplines, reinforces the status of mathematics as a boundary-defying, world-changing creative science.
As a teacher and communicator of mathematics I support the PPM campaign. Seeing the beauty and curiosity in any subject alongside applications and uses is a necessary part of any education and inspiration.
I hope there always remains a place for creative and curiosity-led research, particularly in the art of mathematics.”
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Caoimhe Rooney, Co-Founder of Mathematigals
"Mathematics is the universal language that we all inherently understand, because it underpins everything that makes up the world around us. However, truly identifying the intricate and foundational pure mathematics that define these phenomena takes time and depends critically on the careful dedication of pure mathematicians.
Pure mathematics formed the foundation of groundbreaking discoveries such as GPS and the modern computer, but the principles that underpin these advances were discovered many years before, perhaps without obvious indication of their impending use. . It is imperative that we continue to fund and nurture the study of pure mathematics, as the future of discovery and scientific breakthrough depends on it”.
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Dr Tom Crawford, TomRocksMaths
“Einstein’s theory of relativity had no practical applications for almost 100 years until the invention of GPS. Prime numbers had no practical applications for thousands of years until their use in encryption. And the power of group theory in Physics only became apparent with the discovery of the standard model.
Stopping pure maths research because it ‘has no applications’ kills the very nature of what it is to be a mathematician. We study concepts because they are interesting, not because they can be applied to problems today, or even in the future. Although as we can learn from the above examples, they almost always in fact can.”
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Sophie Maclean, Sophie the Mathmo
"It's undeniable that pure maths is useful. Discoveries in pure maths underpin many technologies we take for granted to day, underpinning modern encryption and banking. Pure mathematics is different to other fields in that the importance of a particular idea often doesn't become clear until many years later, so investing in pure mathematics is an investment in the future.
Having said this, the reason I love pure maths it's because it's exciting. This is why I work to spread the joy of pure mathematics through my work as a maths communicator, and this is why I continue to study pure mathematics. Things needn't be useful to be worthwhile. They can be beautiful, or challenging, or intriguing too. It just so happens that pure mathematics is all of these things. "
Parliamentarians
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Baroness Blackwood
“We are used to the idea that mathematics is an essential part of engineering, physics, epidemiology, finance and a host of other practical disciplines. Less obvious is the idea that mathematics for mathematics' sake is not only intellectually beautiful in itself but can also have significant impact elsewhere. Investment in pure maths is vital because, as the Enigma codebreakers proved, when the investment succeeds, it can do so spectacularly and change the trajectory of history.”
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Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Science, Research & Innovation
“It was pure mathematics which helped inspire my love of mathematics, which in turn enabled me to enjoy a fantastic career in engineering before entering Parliament.
The UK has a proud history of producing excellent mathematicians, like Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing, and today pure mathematics is arguable more important than ever as it underpins cutting edge technology like AI and superfast broadband. We must not abandon teaching pure mathematics in our Universities.”
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Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee
“As a maths graduate myself, I am biased about the utility and wonder behind the mathematical sciences. Maths enables the most exciting and urgent technological developments: energy generation, artificial intelligence, driverless cars, quantum computing, tackling climate change and even cutting NHS waiting times, just to name a few. We should be doing all we can to ensure that maths remains accessible to and enjoyable for people who think it an elitist subject just for “clever” people, so that they can access these exciting roles that are working constructively to help all in society.
I strongly support the Protect Pure Maths campaign in its work to advance the mathematical sciences in Parliament, industry, universities, and our schools.”
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Lord Clement-Jones
“As a former Chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, and current Co-Chair of the APPG on Artificial Intelligence, I am acutely aware of the valuable contribution maths whether in terms of statistical analysis, assessing probabilities or finding patterns, makes to the technological developments and discoveries our lives revolve around .
UK employers across the country need students with skills that stem from maths including computing, statistics, and data. It is crucial that we protect and adequately fund mathematics – in all its forms – to ensure students continue to be equipped with the mathematical skills that lead technological and scientific innovations.
As Chair of the Council of Queen Mary, University of London, where we offer Pure Maths as part of our Mathematics degrees, I am very proud of our School of Mathematical Sciences and what we offer.”
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Stephen Metcalfe MP
“As the co-chair of the APPG for AI, and Chair of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, I recognise the vital importance of Maths in all its forms as a core requirement to underpin many other scientific developments.
The research of maths makes a huge contribution to technological and scientific innovations and has a huge impact on scientific bodies, science-based industry, and the academic world.
The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee recognises the need for all forms of mathematics, particularly in partnership with science, technology, and engineering, and supports the aims of the Protect Pure Maths campaign to support and further all forms of mathematics at both A Level and in Higher Education.”
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Thangam Debbonaire MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
“I love Maths and pure mathematics was my best and favourite subject at school, even though I was at a music school! I then went on to study Maths at university. Even though I reached my limit before I completed the degree, it's still a big love and a skill I really value.
“In Parliament, my work as an MP has shown me how useful mathematical understanding is in public life, from understanding logic and reasoning to being able to analyse statistics. I'd like more people to understand the beauty, joy and usefulness of Maths throughout all stages of life - whatever your job is, Maths will be in your life at some point and understanding it better helps everyone make better decisions.
“I strongly back the campaign to keep pure Maths in our schools and universities. It underpins so much of the jobs of the future as well as helping us all in our lives.”
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Lord Craig of Radley
“Maths, let alone Pure Maths, may be dismissed, even feared by some, but has long been an essential in so much of science and invention. It is right to draw attention to its continuous contribution to human endeavour.
As an Oxford pure maths graduate, I strongly commend the Protect Pure Maths campaign and the London Mathematical Society for sponsoring renewed and greater interest in Pure Mathematics.”
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Helen Hayes MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years
“From Ada Lovelace’s work creating the building blocks for modern computers to the brilliant work of mathematicians contributing to modelling and predicting the climate emergency, mathematic discoveries affect us every day.
I’m proud to support the campaign to Protect Pure Maths. It is vital that we invest in the next generation of mathematicians and safeguard the teaching of pure maths at colleges and universities.”
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Andrew Gwynne MP, Shadow Minister for Social Care
“Mathematics underpins some of our greatest achievements. From helping to crack the enigma code to forming the basis of COVID-19 modelling, pure mathematics has been an invaluable and perpetual source of discovery and innovation.
I'm proud to be supporting the Protect Pure Maths Campaign. To view Pure Mathematics as somehow distinct from other strands of Mathematics is a mistake, and we should be encouraging young people to pursue their talent and passion to the highest level.
As we emerge from the pandemic, it is more important than ever that young people take up STEM subjects, and that's why I want to Protect Pure Maths."
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Baroness Meyer CBE
“Mathematics is the language of nature. Almost all mathematics was pure mathematics at some point before it found application in engineering, physics or other natural sciences.
Who would have guessed that the science of abstract, curved spaces, as developed in the 19th century by the great German mathematician, Bernhard Riemann, would provide the means by which Einstein elaborated his general theory of relativity half a century later; or that this in turn made possible GPS technology in our cars and smart devices?
Pure mathematics is fundamental to our scientific and technological understanding and progress. It must be supported.”
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The Right Hon. the Lord Johnson of Marylebone
“Our future is interdisciplinary - and it's as vital that arts and humanities students have a solid grounding in mathematics as it is for our engineers and biologists to understand the social sciences, arts, design and creative disciplines.
Protect Pure Maths' campaign to advance understanding of the mathematical sciences should command support in Government and across our education system.”
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Lord Browne of Ladyton
“Mathematics is a British success story. I support the work of the London Mathematical Society and the Protect Pure Maths Campaign to emphasise the importance of mathematics alongside science and technology, not only to the whole STEM system, but to the UK economy overall.
Mathematics adds more than £200 billion to the UK economy, nearly 10% of our GDP; and it is one of the top three subjects for graduate earnings. Mathematics enables most of today’s exciting and urgent technological developments, including artificial intelligence, driverless cars, and the development of quantum computers and superfast broadband, as well as the modelling of the Covid-19 outbreak, underpinning national security, the finance sector and the rollout of vaccinations.”
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Simon Fell MP
“Maths is the bedrock of the sciences and of much of the advancements that we take for granted in the modern world. Whether the phones in our hands, the satellites that allow those devices to talk to each other and share data, or even the massive engineering triumphs that are the submarines produced in my own constituency, none of that would be possible without the foundation of mathematics.”
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The Rt Hon. Lord Mandelson PC
“As an original student, and current supporter, of the humanities I have no hesitation in backing this campaign for Pure Maths. We do not have a choice. Everything we prize in society and the advances we want everyone to enjoy depends on economic success. In the digital age of the 21st century, this success requires scientific excellence and maths is at its heart. This is literally the key to Britain’s future prosperity as well as our health, our security and environmental well being. In Britain, we talk a good game about being a ‘science superpower’ – in practice, this will depend on our transforming the teaching of Pure Maths.“
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Anthony Browne MP
“As a graduate of mathematics, I understand its importance not only to technological developments like AI but to real-world financial knowledge in our everyday lives. Mathematics can make us stronger as an economy and as a country, and it pays - literally - for individuals to be more numerate. Not only can mathematics improve earnings, but it can create more opportunities for the disadvantaged, something we must be prioritising. To do so, we must ensure there is a long-term plan for protecting and promoting the mathematical sciences.”
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Kirsty Blackman MP, SNP Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office
“I’ve loved maths since I was little and I still marvel at the way it informs and underpins so many aspects of my life. From policy making in Westminster and at Holyrood to the board games I love to play with my family there’s always an aspect of maths. Too often we take it for granted and overlook the wonder of the mathematical sciences. I’m pleased to support the Pure Maths Campaign’s aims to promote all maths and to ensure it is recognised and valued by decision makers in government and business.”
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Lord Ravensdale
“I am a practicing engineer outside of parliament and so I see the practical value of mathematics every day. Skills in mathematical sciences are the bedrock of all of the higher value added sectors of our economy, and to future economic growth. I strongly support the protect pure mathematics campaign in ensuring that we develop the right skills base for the future and build upon the proud heritage that we have as a country in this area.”
Businesses
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Peter Landrock, Executive Chairman and Founder of Cryptomathic
“The universe is founded on logic and the common language for describing all sorts of properties and opportunities is mathematics. But focusing too much on applications will be unduly restrictive. Today’s pure mathematics is very likely tomorrow’s applied mathematics. My company Cryptomathic was built on what used to be pure number theory, the Queen of Mathematics, which only 10 years before the company was founded was considered the purest of the pure.
The point is simply, you cannot apply something that hasn’t even been developed yet. Nobody would get the idea that number theory was a fundamental key to modern data security if no number theory had been around.”
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Skin Analytics
“At Skin Analytics maths underpins everything we do. Whether it's linear algebra or statistics, we work with applied maths to help identify skin cancer earlier and get better health outcomes for patients. We must continue to invest in all forms of maths to build a bright future of tomorrow.”
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Miquido
“As a software development company, Miquido is proud to support the Protect Pure Maths campaign. Today, we’re all living in a mathematically-driven world. Maths is strictly embedded into computer technology, and IT businesses would not exist without it. Everyone using a computer, mobile apps, and social media worldwide benefits daily from mathematical achievements. It’s Math to provide us with tools to understand science, engineering, and technology. These areas are developing rapidly, and we will need more and more experts in those fields.
We hope future generations will be inspired by Katherine Johnson’s words: ‘We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics.’”
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Dr Paul Hawkins, Founder of Hawk-Eye Innovations
“The maths behind Hawk-Eye is what has enabled it to become the world’s leading sports technology company.
Whether it is Pure or Applied, the generic skill of deep problem-solving, learnt through maths, are fundamental to our success”
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CattleEye
“Maths is an important building block in AI solutions, I am happy to support the Protect Pure Maths campaign.”
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Baron Spencer of Alresford, Chairman and Director of IPGL
“We believe that pure maths is the most fundamental of frameworks upon which all science is built and so, IPGL wholeheartedly supports the campaign to protect pure maths. Without the knowledge base built up through centuries of research, and the work of its pioneers, much of the technology we use today simply would not exist. The wide variety of businesses dependent on these achievements throughout IPGLs Investment Portfolio is the result of these endeavours. We are all benefactors from continued exploration of the field, and pure maths, as well as being a useful tool, provides young people an excellent lens through which to view the world.”
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Deep Render
“Pure Mathematics is a beautiful research domain in itself, which attracts some of the most brilliant people in the world to work on challenging problems that will often be relevant in the future. Pure Mathematics is a foundation other fields frequently draw on to progress. Attacking and closing pure maths research groups is insanity and will be hurting every field of study (in academia and business) in the long run. It is appalling that these attacks are facilitated by short-sighted people who do not understand the long-term impacts of their decisions. Reallocating funding of pure maths groups is equivalent to sacrificing future progress for short-term gains; it goes against academic principles, business logic and is the opposite of sound strategic planning. It truly shows how much modern funding bodies and politicians have fallen in this age.
Let me give you a real-life example: At Deep Render, we are developing the next generation of compression technology to free the world of all bandwidth limitations. Our work is at/above the state-of-the-art in AI research, and everything people reducing funding for pure maths groups want: more practical research, highly innovative, massive impact and ROI, a game-changer for society. However, our research is not driven by computer scientists, engineers or machine learning experts. Instead, most of our breakthroughs came from interactions with Pure Mathematicians we inspired to help us in our mission; and most of Deep Render's lead researchers have a Mathematics background. I can guarantee that closing pure maths groups will have a strong, negative, medium-term trickle-down effect on Deep Render, slowing our innovation. You can replace Deep Render with any innovative research group or deep tech business in the world and will get the same result.”
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Brainomix
“At Brainomix, we specialise in the creation of imaging biomarkers that are powered by artificial intelligence and then used by physicians worldwide to enhance treatment decisions to optimize patient care. At the core of our advanced technology are complex algorithms driven by pure maths, which our team are continually assessing and using to discover new ways to add value to the healthcare system.”
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Cervest
“Mathematics is the universal language that helps make sense of the world. Many long-standing paradoxes that gripped the greatest minds in history are resolved in modern times by the study of ‘foundational mathematics’.
Now, as we face climate change, arguably one of mankind's greatest challenges - our growing vocabulary in mathematics has provided some of the most crucial advances in our understanding of Earth's climate systems.
Cervest's pursuit of shared climate intelligence continues this legacy, utilising pure mathematics alongside cutting edge science to avoid the 'business as usual' paradox scenario: how do we lift the world out of poverty through economic progress, when that progress is threatening to induce poverty-creating disasters?”
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Peter Braam, Consultant to the SKA radio telescope effort
I was lucky enough to have Sir Michael Atiyah as my advisor and work in the mathematics faculty at Oxford, surrounded by world-leading thinkers. The beauty of what I learned remains indelible and I also remain eager to follow the development of thought in pure mathematics. At the age of roughly 35, I left to work on aspects of scientific computing, researching, designing and building software products in support of scientific projects. I did not expect to see countless problems with little or no underpinning from pure mathematics, problems that both relate to the construction of complex software and also to the search for the best algorithms to handle large data sets now routinely produced by scientific instrumentation. As science evolves further into machine learning from big data, pure mathematical thinking may well remain our best hope to continue a structured understanding as it has been crafted over millennia. Pure mathematics has the beauty of the arts but also provides the most articulate thought framework for scientific discovery and the development of technology. Promoting awareness, learning and enjoyment is supremely valuable for society.
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Zubin Siganporia, Founder of QED Analytics
“Pure maths is the foundation upon which many of the most important technological advances are built, from internet communications and energy optimisation to artificial intelligence. QED Analytics was entirely founded on the belief that high-end mathematical modelling and data analysis can be one of the most effective ways for our clients and partners to resolve the most pressing challenges in their industries. We’ve been lucky to work alongside leading organisations in a range of industries, from financial and legal services to genetics and high-performance sport. None of this would be possible without mathematical problem solving.
Protecting pure maths is crucial to give our society the best chance of create innovative solutions to our most important challenges. Pure mathematics is vital to industry, the economy, security, and people’s lives more generally, and we can’t afford for it to be undervalued."
Universities
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University of Lincoln
“As the home of Isaac Newton, George Boole, and Charlotte Scott, Lincolnshire has an incredible history of producing brilliant mathematicians whose work has had profound impacts not just on the discipline of mathematics, but how we all live our lives today.
We’re very proud to celebrate the genius of Alan Turing as another outstanding British mathematician on the anniversary of his most famous and important achievement.”
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University of Oxford
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University of Edinburgh
“The School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh supports wholeheartedly the objectives of the PPM campaign. It is not only that mathematics is part of world culture, nor that it is one of the most effective ways we have to understand the natural world, but that mathematical sciences are ever more important to our society since they underpin and leading developments in computing and the technology and innovation that results.
The landscape of the Mathematical sciences is broad and very varied, ranging across more theoretical or applicable topics and on to statistics and many direct uses in technology, in modelling, and far beyond. None of these fields of mathematics exists in isolation: each needs the other to flourish!
It’s not always obvious that mathematics is at the heart of our daily life, but it is and we should strive to raise awareness of what it can do and also where its limits are. For these reasons we fully support the campaign to promote and to protect all parts of the mathematical sciences, including pure mathematics.”
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University of Plymouth
“The University of Plymouth strongly supports the protection of pure mathematics as a subject area vital to the modern economy. Research in pure mathematics underpins much of our current understanding of the world around us, as well as leading blue-skies research with benefits far into the future. Many of our students are drawn to pure mathematics because of its beauty – but it is also highly-prized by employers. Graduates who are trained in pure mathematical thinking have a unique skill-set to contribute to industry, government and technology, and are able to balance detailed logical analysis with holistic structural thinking.”
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University of St Andrews
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Newcastle University
“This year Newcastle University celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding College of Physical Science, set up to provide training for the booming local industry and its engineers. From its inception, pure mathematics was an integral part of the syllabus in recognition of its foundational importance. This philosophy continues at Newcastle to the current day, where pure mathematics is a key component of our disciplinary research base, driving abstract and beautiful discoveries in their own right while providing a pipeline of innovative descriptions and approaches that underpin new technologies. It is for this balance of beauty and impact, enjoyment and practicality that pure mathematics is at the heart of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across mathematical sciences, and valued by students and employers alike.”
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University College London
"Mathematics is fundamental to progress in science, technology and society at large. UCL has a distinguished history of nurturing research in pure mathematics. Our founding professor, Augustus De Morgan, discovered laws of set theory that underpin logic and computation. Another UCL professor, J J Sylvester, helped to found modern algebra, in the process coining the term "matrix". Today the ability to perform fast matrix multiplication underpins advances in artificial intelligence.
Often the path from original abstract idea to world changing application can be long and convoluted. However there is so much to be gained by following that path. Our students benefit immensely from the uniquely creative skills that the study of pure mathematics can provide.
Both for the economic and creative future of society, it is vital that we protect mathematics."
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University of Bristol
“It is remarkable how much of our daily life relies on pure mathematics. Every time you open an https connection or use a bank card you rely on elliptic curves, while search engines are built upon matrices and graph theory. GPS navigation depends on the theory of general relativity, which in turn is founded on abstract geometry.
All of these started as purely mathematical ideas, studied because of their inherent beauty. It takes decades or sometimes centuries for mathematics to become applied, and for such ideas to become technologies. When students learn pure mathematics, they learn how to distil fundamental concepts, how to look for solutions in unexpected places, and how to see the forest for the trees. It is no wonder that our highly technological society has such a great demand for mathematics graduates, which is only likely to grow.
The University of Bristol and several other UK universities partner with GCHQ in operating the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research. HIMR brings pure mathematics to bear on problems of crucial importance to GCHQ’s twin intelligence and cybersecurity missions - see https://heilbronn.ac.uk/2021/07/27/pure-maths-in-security/ “
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University of Warwick
“The Warwick Mathematics Institute supports the ideals of the Protect Pure Maths campaign. Mathematics is a beautiful subject, and many are inspired by it for that reason. But it also underpins the scientific enterprise and our economic prosperity.
For any one of these reasons we need flourishing and well supported Mathematics Departments active in research, not just in a few centres of excellence, but spread across the country.”
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University of Reading
“As a professor of applied mathematics, trained in engineering, I see huge value in study and research in pure mathematics, for the training in rigorous thinking and argument it provides, and for the host of new mathematical methods that are developed and drive forward more applied work.”
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University of Liverpool
“The department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Liverpool is dedicated to teaching, exploration and discovery across the full spectrum of Mathematical Sciences. We apply the results of our research for the wider benefit of society, and share the excitement of mathematics with a broad audience, inspiring future generations of mathematicians. Of central importance to the department is our pure mathematics research cluster, whose activity is focused around Algebraic Geometry, Dynamical Systems, and Geometry & Topology.
In order to show to the general audience the beauty, importance and complexity of Pure Mathematics, the department started in 2017 a series of public lectures, the Terry Wall Lectures, the lectures given by top world famous mathematicians: Stanislav Smirnov (2017), Martin Hairer (2018), Caucher Birkar (2019), Claire Voisin (2020) and Hélène Esnault (2021).
The lecture courses in Pure Mathematics, taught in our department, reflect the modern achievements and trends in the field, and attract young people who wish to get an education in this beautiful subject.”
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University of Nottingham
“Mathematics is truly a subject without borders and represents the universal language underpinning science and engineering in the modern world.
The University of Nottingham has a long heritage in mathematics education and research dating back almost 140 years; we are extremely proud to support this campaign and more broadly all mathematics-related disciplines.”
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Lancaster University
“The impacts and contributions made by the Mathematical Sciences can be seen throughout the modern world, with short and long-term applications arising from developments across the discipline.
The interconnection of its various specialisms means that cuts to any part of the maths ecosystem will be felt broadly and have consequences across the full range of activities underpinned by mathematical insights. Lancaster University is therefore proud to support this campaign.”
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King's College London
“The pure mathematics of today is the foundation of the applied mathematics of tomorrow and the science of the day after. This happens in ways that are exciting, diverse and unpredictable. At King’s College London, we value and support the whole spectrum of mathematical sciences, both to contribute to the development of our subject and to open opportunities for our students as they find their own strengths and tastes within mathematics.
King’s has a long history of discovering pure mathematics which ultimately leads to ground-breaking scientific discoveries. One example is the role analysis and geometry have played in the development of gravitational waves through the work of Hermann Bondi and other former members of our Department of Mathematics. We look forward to making increasing contributions in pure and applied mathematics, theoretical physics and statistics.”
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University of Manchester
“The Department of Mathematics at the University of Manchester has a proud tradition of mathematical research and education. The Department has been home to many distinguished mathematicians whose work covers the breadth of the discipline. These include Alan Turing, after whom our building is named, a mathematician with broad and diverse research interests, including logic, probability, mathematical biology, numerical analysis and computer science. In addition to fundamental mathematical research, we focus our expertise on themes that provide mathematical solutions to global societal issues and ensure that we make a positive contribution in areas such as education, public health, engineering, finance, and the physical world.
Our research themes span applied mathematics, pure mathematics, probability and statistics; and we have a high level of engagement with other disciplines. We view the mathematical sciences community as a whole and support the campaign's aims to promote and protect mathematical research in all institutions across the country, and to ensure that the general public recognises the value of mathematics. We strongly believe that no single area of mathematics is more worthy than any other nor that any area should be disproportionately singled out for funding cuts.”
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Queen's University of Belfast
“Queen’s University of Belfast proudly supports the Protect Pure Maths campaign. Mathematics research is a system of interlinked research areas. The health of one area is necessary for the health of the whole, as progress in one area drives progress in others. We see the same pattern throughout all of STEM research, where inadequate funding in one field weakens and slows the whole. This ecosystem viewpoint is reflected in our undergraduate programme, which provides all mathematics students with a solid foundation in pure mathematics, applied mathematics and statistics. This gives a unique combination of rigour, logical thinking, problem solving skills and data analysis skills that makes mathematics graduates prized by an extensive range of employers.
Pure mathematics is the most abstract part of mathematical research, with research primarily inspired by intellectual curiosity and the beauty of its questions. Nevertheless, pure mathematics profoundly impacts upon society. The examples of pure mathematical areas that are essential for the modern world surround us: number theory is the basis for cryptography, functional analysis provides the framework for quantum physics, abstract geometry supplies the tools of topological data analysis and graph theory is how we study communication networks. While it is impossible to predict which parts of pure mathematics will be at the heart of the next break-through, the need for pure mathematics is certain. “
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University of Cambridge
“The Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge stands squarely behind the Protect Pure Maths campaign.
Pure Maths is an indispensable part of the whole mathematical landscape and its vitality is a necessary part of the UK continuing to be a world-leading place for science and technology.
We welcome this campaign and its recognition of the interconnectedness of the whole of Mathematics, from Pure to Applied and from Statistics to String Theory. “
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University of Stirling
At the University of Stirling we have a team of applied mathematicians, statisticians and data scientists who work on applied research in the areas of food security, health and wellbeing and sustainability. We fully support the objectives of the Protect Pure Maths campaign. Maths is an important aspect of all of our every day lives as well as critical to the interdisciplinary research approaches which will be required to solve the complex problems that the world faces at the moment. It is essential that there is sufficient funding to ensure that this is possible.
We love to share our passion for all of the mathematical sciences with our students and through public engagement. We strongly support raising the profile of the mathematical sciences with both policy makers and parliamentarians and the need to ensure that all of the mathematical sciences are valued in Higher and Further Education institutions.