How long have you worked at the Uni? What does your role involve?
I have been here since August 2012. I am currently a Reader in Applied Mathematics, and this is a multifaceted role. A lot of my time goes into research into the mathematics of materials science. It also involves working with industry, people from other disciplines, training postgraduate students, working with postdoctoral and PhD researchers. I also do a fair bit of undergraduate teaching, at all levels from level 2 to level 4. I have taken up the Directorship of the Centre for Non-linear Mechanics since October 2018, and I lead certain Internationalisation initiatives at Bath as well. It keeps me busy!
What piece of advice would you like to give to a student?
Believe in yourself and enjoy what you do.
Who was your most influential teacher/educator, and why?
It was actually my mother! That is because my family moved around a lot so my schooling was interrupted at times. I spent a lot of time with my mother and she invested a lot of time and energy in educating me when I was younger, for which I will always be grateful.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a scientist – an astronomer. Then I found out the astronomy required a lot of practical hands-on skills, and I gradually realised I was slightly better suited to pen and paper, so I switched to Mathematics instead! The more I studied Mathematics, the more interested I became and now I make a living out of it!
What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
There is no substitute for hard work. Talent is a by-product of hard work.
What was your first job?
My first job was a competitive research fellowship. I was awarded a “Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851” research fellowship in 2006. I did my Undergraduate and my PhD at the University of Bristol, then I had a very short term post doc there too. Once I started applying for jobs, I was very pleasantly surprised to get an independent research fellowship at my first attempt. The fellowship took me to the University of Oxford as a postdoctoral researcher, which was a huge step forward, and then I moved to Bath in 2012.
If you could start your own dream business, what would it be?
It would be an enterprise in “Mathematics for Materials”. I am not quite sure that would flourish as a business, but it would be a step in the right direction.
Where is your favourite holiday destination and why?
I think it would be Montreal in Canada. It has an excellent public transport system, a good mix of the old and the new, and the architecture is very impressive. Mount Royal Park is a favourite. The city is fairly relaxed in its own way, very cosmopolitan but very hot in the summer!!
If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and why?
Emmy Noether. She revolutionised mathematical physics in an era when women had very little access to mathematics. Noether's theorem, has been called "one of the most important mathematical theorems ever proved in guiding the development of modern physics". She wasn’t paid for 7 years. Her resilience is inspiring, and her ability to do what she loved under adverse circumstances, and yet be a seminal figure for generations to come. The other person would be David Hilbert, one of the most influential mathematicians of all times. One of my favourite quotes is “Mathematics knows no races or geographical boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country”.
Which one superpower would you like to possess?
Multi-tasking!