X+Y: A Mathematicians Manifesto For Rethinking Gender LSE Department of Mathematics 2023-02-22 | The question of why women and minorities are under-represented in mathematics is complex and there are no simple answers, only many contributing factors. Dr Cheng will draw on a combination of precise mathematical reasoning, techniques of abstract mathematical thinking, and her experiences as a woman in the male-dominated field of mathematics.Dr Cheng will argue that if we focus on character traits rather than gender, we can have a more productive and less divisive conversation, about math and beyond. She will present a new theory for doing so, showing that we can use abstract mathematical thinking to work towards a more inclusive society in this politically divisive era.
Women in Mathematics - An LSE Perspective LSE Department of Mathematics 2024-10-17 | For this talk, we are delighted to welcome some fantastic speakers to the panel, who will each discuss their personal and professional journeys in mathematics, LSE and the professional world. Join us to discover their challenges and triumphs, and gain valuable insights and advice on navigating a career after your degree.
Approximation is the New Optimal LSE Department of Mathematics 2024-04-26 | The Internet has become a huge computational platform for many heterogeneous, complex markets. These complex markets require the design of fast algorithms that take into account the economic, game theoretic, and computational considerations in a unified way. In this talk, Michal Feldman will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that arise in this domain, through the lens of approximation.
The Shortcut: How Machines Became Intelligent Without Thinking in a Human Way LSE Department of Mathematics 2024-04-26 | Current media coverage of AI seems to assume that it has just suddenly appeared out of the blue. Instead, the prevailing form of machine intelligence is the direct result of a series of decisions that we have made over the past decades.These were shortcuts aimed at addressing various technical (and business) problems, and that are now behind many of the current concerns about the impact of this technology on society. A major shortcut was taken with the creation of the very first statistical language models, and we will describe how that step was the first move towards statistical AI, how it challenged previous assumptions, and how it reflected a new mindset that was starting to emerge among AI researchers. When business models, data availability and scientific paradigms became aligned, the current revolution started. Understanding how those technical shortcuts limit the options of regulators will be essential to safely co-exist with the present form of AI.
The Quest for Structure - A Quest for Beauty? LSE Department of Mathematics 2023-12-08 | Drawing on examples of her recent research in discrete mathematics amongst others, Julia's talk aims to illustrate how the quest for structure in mathematics can lead to questions and concepts of intangible yet lasting aesthetic appeal. Recalling key events from her own mathematical career date along the way, Julia will also attempt to examine to what extent aesthetic sensibility, opportunity, personality, and chance influence an individual's mathematical path.
Doctoral Research in Mathematics at LSE LSE Department of Mathematics 2023-11-01 | Hear about postgraduate research in Mathematics from members of the Department.
Becoming a Good Mathematician: Practical Ethics for the Mathematical Sciences LSE Department of Mathematics 2023-03-20 | Erica starts from the premise that all of our mathematical choices have practical and ethical implications. To illustrate this, Erica will recap her mathematical career and interests, presenting some solved and unsolved problems in geometry, fluid dynamics, complex modelling, forecast evaluation and statistical inference. Using examples including climate change and Covid-19, she will demonstrate the mathematical consequences of (lack of) social diversity in the mathematical sciences, and show how our ethical standpoint as mathematicians can be fundamental to understanding and re-imagining the world around us and making responsible decisions about the future.
Data For Decisions | Women in Mathematics Seminar LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-11-07 | Emma’s talk focusses on how data has driven her career, not just in terms of the application areas of her research, but also as central to her journey from a departmental academic to university leadership positions. Emma also outlines some recent research and data projects, ranging from the impact of the introduction of interventions in road networks; personalisation strategies in online controlled experiments; and the use of data in the regulatory environment in education.
The epidemiological impact of the NHS COVID-19 app | Women in Mathematics Seminar LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-02-07 | Contact tracing is an important (albeit sometimes unpopular) part of the toolkit for limiting the spread of COVID-19. In this talk Michelle Kendall (University of Warwick) will explain the theoretical motivation for contact tracing and for developing the NHS COVID-19 app. She will provide a brief history of its epidemiological impact which has been significant both in reducing COVID-19 transmission and in providing real-time information on the progression of the epidemic. Along the way, she will provide some reflections on how a once pure mathematician found herself working on a very real-world application, and how it has shaped the way she works.Date: Thursday 3 February 2022#WomenInMathsSpeaker:🔴 Dr Michelle KendallChair:🔴 Dr Nicola Witturℹ️ More info: lse.ac.uk/Mathematics/WomenInMathsRead Michelle's interview on our blog site here: bit.ly/3Cs7OCw
A Beautiful Question: finding natures deep design | Public Lecture LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-02-01 | In his new book, world-class physicist and Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek argues that beauty is at the heart of the logic of the universe, a principle that had guided his pioneering work in quantum physics. As his book looks to demonstrate, this quest has also guided the work of all scientific pursuit in the western world, from Pythagoras and Plato to Galileo and Newton, Maxwell and Einstein. Indeed, Wilczek looks to show us just how deeply intertwined our ideas about beauty and art are with our scientific understanding of the cosmos. 'A Beautiful Question' is the culmination of Wilczek’s life work, a work that looks to combine the age-old quest for beauty with the age-old quest for truth.Date: Wednesday 8 July 2015#LSEWilczekSpeaker:🔴 Professor Frank WilczekChair:🔴 Professor Bernhard von Stengelℹ️ More info: lse.ac.uk/Events/2015/07/20150708t1830vOT/A-Beautiful-Question
Game Theory and Politics | Public Lecture LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-02-01 | Game theory is the 'science of interaction'. This talk will explain some insights of game theory and apply them to current politics.Of course politicians play games. They offer cheap promises that they think they don't have to fulfil. Such as a "simple" in-out referendum on EU membership. That game plan went wrong. Game theory could have helped, with tools for thinking ahead and concepts of strategy. Game theory can also help explain the incentive problems of climate change and reasons for democratic deadlock. This talk will highlight some uses and mis-uses of game theory and decision theory with examples from politics.Date: Thursday 20 February 2020#LSEGameTheorySpeaker:🔴 Professor Bernhard von StengelChair:🔴 Professor Jan van den Heuvelℹ️ More info: lse.ac.uk/Events/2020/02/20200220t1830vSZT/game-theory
Weapons of Math Destruction: how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy | Podcast LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-01-28 | This podcast features highlights from Cathy O'Neil's LSE Public Lecture.We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives - whether we get a job or a loan, how much we pay for insurance - are being made by mathematical models. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: everyone is judged according to the same rules, and bias is eliminated. But as Cathy O'Neil reveals in her new book, which she will talk about in this lecture, the opposite is true. The models being used today are opaque, unregulated, and incontestable, even when they're wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination, creating a toxic cocktail for democracy.Date: Monday 3 July 2017#LSEmathsSpeaker:🔴 Dr Cathy O'NeilChair:🔴 Professor Martin Anthonyℹ️ More info: lse.ac.uk/Events/2017/07/20170703t1830vHKT/Weapons-of-Math-Destruction
Weapons of Math Destruction interview with Cathy ONeil | Vlog LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-01-28 | Cathy O'Neil discusses how she came to be an author, her book "Weapons of Math Destruction", how to define these 'weapons' and what the future holds. Date: Monday 17 March 2017Speaker:🔴 Dr Cathy O'NeilInterviewers:🔴 Professor Martin Anthony🔴 Professor Andrew Lewis-Pye
The Diffusion of Social and Technological Innovations | Public Lecture LSE Department of Mathematics 2022-01-28 | New ideas, technologies, and ways of doing things are the key to economic growth and development. Yet it often takes many years after the introduction of an innovation before it comes into widespread use. Delays result from many issues; we examine these in the context of several well-documented cases.Date: Monday 7 March 2016#LSEPeytonYoungSpeaker:🔴 Professor H. Peyton YoungChair:🔴 Professor Martin Anthonyℹ️ More info: bit.ly/3o5H4lg
