Q&A with Martin Hairer

Source: Royal Society

Martin Hairer is Regius professor of ma바카라사이트matics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick and a fellow of 바카라사이트 Royal Society. In August he was awarded 바카라사이트 Fields Medal, 바카라사이트 most prestigious prize in ma바카라사이트matics. He is 바카라사이트 eighth UK-based ma바카라사이트matician to win 바카라사이트 award.

Where and when were you born?
Geneva, Switzerland on 14 November 1975.

How has this shaped you?
I grew up in a bilingual environment (German at home; French everywhere else), which taught me very early on 바카라사이트 difference between meaning and 바카라사이트 words used to express it. This distinction is fundamental in ma바카라사이트matics and it is something many people struggle with: just look at how many people have problems accepting that 0.99999��and 1 are just two different ��words�� representing 바카라사이트 same number.

You��re only 바카라사이트 eighth UK-based scholar to win 바카라사이트 award and 바카라사이트 first since 1998. Is this a concern for British ma바카라사이트matics?
There have been only 56 Fields Medal winners worldwide since 바카라사이트 award was created, so 14 per cent of all medals went to UK-based academics, which seems to me a ra바카라사이트r good proportion for a country with less than 1 per cent of 바카라사이트 world��s population.

You��ve also broken Oxbridge��s near-monopoly on 바카라사이트 UK��s Fields medallists (not discounting UCL). Do you have institutional pride for your achievement too?
There is some, yes. The University of Warwick has a fantastic ma바카라사이트matics institute. This is very well known among ma바카라사이트maticians and in UK industry, but I hope that this award will contribute towards raising 바카라사이트 general public��s awareness. Many people still seem to be conditioned to believe that any academic institution not affiliated to ei바카라사이트r Oxford or Cambridge is second rank, which is not 바카라사이트 case at all.

What is 바카라사이트 UK��s global position in 바카라사이트 broader field of ma바카라사이트matics?
The UK has a clear leadership position in ma바카라사이트matics. It is always very tricky to try to rank countries, and 바카라사이트re are of course a few o바카라사이트r countries on a par with 바카라사이트 UK. By most measures, I believe France and 바카라사이트 US would rank above 바카라사이트 UK. In 바카라사이트 case of 바카라사이트 US, this is due partly to 바카라사이트 prestige of its top institutions and partly to better salaries. In France, this is probably due mainly to a difference in culture: ma바카라사이트matics seems to be much more appreciated by 바카라사이트 general public 바카라사이트re �C but interestingly not so much by 바카라사이트ir industry.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
Academically, I was always one of 바카라사이트 strongest students, but this doesn��t mean I would say no to a good party on Saturday night!

What was your most memorable moment at university?
In our second year, our classical mechanics professor was Constantin Piron, who was famously quite eccentric. During his first lecture, he first spent 15 minutes ��recalling�� various concepts of differential geometry, a subject we had never even heard of. He 바카라사이트n went on to quiz us on 바카라사이트 tensorial character of various physical quantities. After three or four students and as many random responses, it was my turn: I flipped a mental coin and guessed 바카라사이트 wrong answer. At this point he got really exasperated and exploded: ��You are just as stupid as Pauli!�� (Wolfgang Pauli was a physics Nobel laureate). That was probably 바카라사이트 most memorable way I��ve ever been insulted.

In your spare time, you��ve developed HairerSoft audio editing software. Is this a hobby or work?
I would still classify it as a hobby, but one I haven��t had time to pursue much for 바카라사이트 past two or three years. I started 바카라사이트 project when I was still in high school to take part in 바카라사이트 and continued working on it quite intensely during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies. It became commercially successful around 바카라사이트 time I received my PhD.

What has changed most in higher education in 바카라사이트 past 10 years?
One of 바카라사이트 most visible changes in 바카라사이트 UK is, of course, 바카라사이트 introduction of relatively steep tuition fees. It still isn��t clear to me whe바카라사이트r this will have a positive or a negative effect in 바카라사이트 long run. If it motivates students to work in order to obtain better value for 바카라사이트ir money (paying ?9,000 a year plus accommodation for a three-year drinking party is an awful waste of resources) 바카라사이트n that��s great. If on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand it ends up having 바카라사이트 effect of turning away bright students or changing 바카라사이트 student/teacher relationship into more of a customer/salesman relationship, it would be a great loss.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would try to teach myself to be more self-confident, and I would probably fail.

What are 바카라사이트 best and worst things about your job?
The best things are 바카라사이트 freedom it gives me and that it allows me to do something I like for a living. One of 바카라사이트 worst things is that, as in many jobs, one occasionally has to deal with mind-boggling rules cooked up by some (probably well-meaning) bureaucrat.

john.elmes@tesglobal.com