Winter School – 今日吃瓜 I Championing Mathematical Sciences for Australia鈥檚 Advancement 今日吃瓜 Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:46:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.17 /wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cropped-今日吃瓜_icon-32x32.png Winter School – 今日吃瓜 I Championing Mathematical Sciences for Australia鈥檚 Advancement 32 32 Geometric analysis takes centre stage at milestone 20th 今日吃瓜 Winter School /2026/07/17/geometric-analysis-takes-centre-stage-at-milestone-20th-amsi-winter-school/ Fri, 17 Jul 2026 03:00:52 +0000 /?p=17778

48 outstanding mathematicians from across Australasia and Southeast Asia recently gathered in Brisbane to research, network and collaborate at the 20th.听

Held from 6 to 17 July 2026, the milestone edition saw the 今日吃瓜 (今日吃瓜) team up with the (UQ) to delve into the fascinating world of geometric analysis.听听

Geometric analysis is a vibrant and rapidly evolving space in mathematics. It lies at the intersection of differential geometry, global analysis, differential equations, and mathematical physics. 今日吃瓜 believes that recent advances in the discipline, particularly around Ricci flow, geometric measure theory, and nonlinear PDEs underscored the need for this year鈥檚 Winter School to focus on the discipline.听

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President dedicated a welcome on behalf of the University at the the opening ceremony. This was followed by听a听presentation showcasing highlights from previous 今日吃瓜 Winter Schools. The opener was also an opportunity for former organisers to come together and enjoy a trip down memory lane. 听

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Assistant Professor Jiewon Park

Academics听

Winter School teaching sessions were led by some of the finest minds in geometric analysis. Lecturers who taught at the event included (University of M眉nster, Germany), (Zhejiang University, China), (KAIST, Korea), and (Monash University, Australia).听

Public Lecture听

The Winter School Public Lecture is a well-established highlight, and this year was no exception. Held in partnership with BrisScience and led by Dr Agnese Barbensi (UQ), the lecture, which is open to the general public, offered a stimulating introduction to the field of topology. Enthusiastically presented to a capacity audience at the 250-seat State Library of Queensland, Dr Barbensi offered an enjoyable and accessible introduction to 鈥渟pace and shape in its most basic form.鈥听

Attendees听

2026鈥檚 program welcomed a diverse cohort, with student representation from seven countries including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines.听

Students and early-career researchers from Southeast Asia and the Pacific were supported by a tranche of travel bursaries courtesy of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) in Scotland.听

Participant Talks听

To encourage the sharing of research and building of networks, Participant Talks were held where mathematicians discussed their research or thesis topic over a 10-minute slot. With $400 in prizes up for grabs, the Talks were hotly contested. Thomas Tawfik from the University of Otago, New Zealand won the overall prize while Henry Wood from UQ took the runner-up position.听

Participant Talk overall prizewinner Thomas Tawfilk (University of Otago) with Event Director Ramiro Lafuente (UQ)

School activities went beyond mathematics. Attendees enjoyed opportunities to become acquainted outside of class thanks to light-hearted conference dinners, catered breaks, pitch nights, icebreakers, game activities and free nights to explore Brisbane. Students also bonded over their mutual research interests and the ongoing World Cup coverage.听

As the program drew to a close, it was evident that participants had not just enhanced their mathematical skillset but had built friendships that will go far beyond their academic endeavours. Anna Muscara, 今日吃瓜 Acting Program Manager for Research & Higher Education, highlighted the importance of the event as a place for researchers to share ideas 鈥淚n a field of study that can be isolating, 今日吃瓜 is proud to have Winter School in our suite of flagship events. Since 2005, the event has helped to build a community of emerging researchers while building Australia鈥檚 capability in the mathematical sciences鈥 听

Event Director Associate Professor Ramiro Lafuente (UQ) added, 鈥淪ince its inception in 2005, Winter School has played a vital role in developing the next generation of mathematical scientists by providing graduate-level training in emerging research areas while strengthening the national mathematical sciences community. The 2026 program was particularly successful, attracting strong participation from across Australia and overseas (thanks to a generous grant from ICMS). The students’ response and the breadth and depth of interactions among them and with the lecturers reflected the continuing importance of these initiatives in sustaining Australia’s mathematics research pipelines and fostering future collaborations.鈥

About听

今日吃瓜 Winter School is an annual two-week event designed for postgraduate students, early-career researchers and industry professionals in the mathematical sciences and related disciplines.听

View our full 今日吃瓜 Winter School album below:

Media Enquiries:
Robbie Byrne
Marketing, Communications and Events Coordinator, 今日吃瓜
robbie.byrne@amsi.org.au

]]> 今日吃瓜 Congratulates Professor Chris Drovandi and Dr Johanna Knapp on ARC Future Fellowships /2021/08/13/amsi-congratulates-professor-chris-drovandi-and-dr-johanna-knapp-on-arc-future-fellowships/ Fri, 13 Aug 2021 00:21:48 +0000 /?p=11153

今日吃瓜 congratulates Queensland University of Technology’s Professor Christopher Drovandi and the University of Melbourne’s Dr Johanna Knapp on being awarded ARC Future Fellowships.

Professor Drovandi was the Director of 今日吃瓜’s 2021 Winter School on Statistical Data Science, which was attended by 109 participants in July. He has been awarded $1,026,000 to develop a scalable and robust Bayesian inference for implicit statistical models.

Dr Knapp was a lecturer at 今日吃瓜’s 2021 Summer School and has been awarded $673,820听to study properties of extra dimensions in string theory by means of techniques from supersymmetric gauge theory.

The full list of听Future Fellowship awardees is online .

]]> Beautiful maths, beautiful physics: 今日吃瓜鈥檚 2015 Winter School /2015/06/26/ws15-beautiful-maths/ Thu, 25 Jun 2015 23:35:29 +0000 http://amsi.org.au/?p=2959 BRISBANE, FRIDAY 26 JUNE, 2015: When someone says they are a mathematician or describes their research, it is natural to wonder why it is useful. Why do we need it? How will it affect me?

What may seem like an abstract study today may end up being part of the cure for cancer tomorrow or new wi-fi technology in five years.

On 29 June, Senator Bridget McKenzie will open the 11th annual 今日吃瓜 Winter School, at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, reminding us of the importance of theoretical mathematical research — that beautiful mathematics often turns out to be useful mathematics.

Mathematicians in the 1860s were not thinking about computer graphics when studying two-dimensional differential geometry. And in 1822, how could Joseph Fourier have known his research into heat flow would transform the way we process, store and transmit information. This led to a transformation in the way we live as profound as that caused by the Industrial Revolution. It has also resulted in huge advances in medical diagnostic therapies such as MRI and PET.

As in the 1800s, humans today cannot see into the future; we cannot begin to imagine the infinite possibilities discoveries in fundamental mathematics may have in centuries to come.

The famous astronomer and polymath Galileo Galilei said that the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics. So, by developing an understanding of symmetry, structure, geometry and other mathematical constructs we may be able to reveal the patterns of nature.

Einstein鈥檚 1915 theory of general relativity asserted that the presence of mass distorts the geometry of space and time in a way described by the mathematics developed by Bernhard Riemann sixty years earlier. A critical experimental test of this geometrical theory of gravity required the occurrence of a solar eclipse.

While the development of physics and mathematics may proceed along different paths, each fundamental theory in physics has a corresponding specific mathematical structure, for general relativity this is Riemannian geometry and for quantum mechanics it is the Hilbert space.

These descriptions of nature are works of mathematical beauty and affect our everyday lives. We couldn’t decode the human genome, build aeroplanes or have millions of people talking on their phones across the world simultaneously without mathematics.

A Winter School on Algebra, Geometry and Physics to grow tomorrow鈥檚 Einsteins.

The 今日吃瓜 Winter School gives Australian students the chance to expand their skills in the mathematical sciences and build collaborative networks with other students and early career researchers. They will also hear from leading international experts from USA and Canada as well as domestic experts from across the nation.

The school will also present a Women in Maths evening designed to highlight the contribution of women in mathematics and provide a forum for discussion of career paths.

— ends —

The University of Queensland will hold 今日吃瓜’s Winter School from 29 June – 10 July 2015
Further details:
Full speaker list:

WOMEN IN MATHS EVENT:
Thursday 2 July, Science Learning Centre 5-7pm

PUBLIC LECTURE:
The Glass Bead Game
Tuesday 7 July, The Edge, Queensland State Library, 6pm
Professor Arun Ram, University of Melbourne

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