Held every fourth year, ICIAM (International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics) is the biggest and most important conference globally within the field.

IMI had a strong presence at the congress with the Institute's Director Professor Jonathan Dawes, Deputy Director Professor Chris Budd and Commercial Research Associate Dr Laura Hattam all presenting at the event.

Dr Hattam presented her recent work aimed at improving the potato crisp production process. Working with a team at PepsiCo, who holds over half of the UK market, Laura has examined factors that influence how crisps detach from a conveyor belt during the frying process.

Later the same day, Professor Dawes gave an overview of the IMI and some of the Institute's recent work with other industry partners.

Industrial mathematics has grown hugely over the past decade, particularly with the emergence of big data analysis and machine learning. Professor Budd summed up the important role the field now plays in driving innovation and economic growth in a separate presentation on the expanding applications and usage of industrial mathematics.

The IMI works to increase the impact of applied mathematics by partnering with industry and colleagues from other academic disciplines. Drawing on the vast expertise at the University, we develop bespoke solutions to address our partners’ challenges.

If you would like to explore working with us, contact Caroline Ang, IMI Manager.

The ICIAM Congress which was held in Valencia, Spain this year, was inaugurated by King Filipe VI and attended by 4,000 researchers from across the world.