Math-Life Balance Mura Yakerson

In this interview, Jeremiah Heller and Vesna Stojanoska share their experience of combining math and family life, discuss their ways to get over occasional demotivation in research and speak about social aspects of research. Jokes included!



Jeremiah's homepage: https://faculty.math.illinois.edu/~jbheller/

Vesna's homepage: https://faculty.math.illinois.edu/~vesna/



Mike Hopkins’ talk at Paul Goerss’ birthday conference: youtu.be/Ix4pg87LKVk



Chapters:

0:00 teaser

0:34 their family and other animals

4:04 kids’ curiosity about math

8:30 wishes for kids’ future

11:04 existential chat about adulthood 

13:51 research & relationship

16:13 finding friends outside math bubble

19:26 two-body problem

21:59 math talks as storytelling

27:01 approaches to doing math

31:02 getting over demotivation in research

35:23 mathematics is a social endeavour

37:12 jobmarket pressure

43:24 having kids & academia

47:18 solid advice

Dhruv Ranganathan is a lecturer at Cambridge University, working in algebraic geometry. In this video, Dhruv talks about doing research with undergrads, being tortured by math problems, looking for friends to write math papers, and other cool stuff!



Dhruv's webpage: https://www.dhruvrnathan.net

Photo: from the webpage



0:00 teaser

0:41 from cricket to air planes

2:16 adventure novels childhood

4:46 what do algebraic geometers do

8:39 experience of undergrad research

12:30 how undergrad research really works

15:35 “now I’m a believer”(c)

18:25 why so much pressure in doing math

21:09 how we create pressure for young people

23:44 doing math as a coping mechanism

27:00 math torture vs intense cartoon watching

28:50 speakers love getting any math questions

30:54 math for extroverts 

34:25 teaching students who leave academia

37:33 don’t beat yourself up for math mistakes

39:39 how we try and fail to improve inclusivity

43:44 don’t put people from minorities on every committee

45:45 the advice that’s too hard to follow

48:35 fireplace

Kevin Buzzard is a professor in Imperial College London working in number theory and formal proof verification. In this interview, Kevin shares his views on the role of computers in doing math, tells about his experience of upbringing 3 kids as a researcher and raises questions about the way we approach math education. Lots of glorious laughter and unforgettable facial expressions are included!



Kevin's homepage: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/k.buzzard



Channel podcast: https://anchor.fm/math-life-balance​​​​



Chapters:

0:00 teaser

0:48 Kevin’s t-shirt

3:06 imagination in math

5:36 computers vs humans

10:43 computers and infinity

12:35 math as a zen puzzle

15:19 role of fashion in math

20:06 mathematicians detecting mistakes

24:41 imperfections in our math

29:14 when the dust settles

31:56 not caring what people think

36:01 how to entertain kids in the subway

40:26 babies as the way to understand humanity

42:52 doing math when you have 3 kids

46:09 writing papers with non-mathematicians

48:54 why kids are forced to memorize math?

53:29 doing exams vs learning math

57:16 unusual advice for students

59:15 the answer to the ultimate question

Maria Chudnovsky is a professor at Princeton University, working in graph theory and combinatorics. In this interview, Maria shares her personal experiences: learning Hebrew from math lessons, giving a talk at NASA, using math at her own wedding, and many more!



Maria's homepage: http://web.math.princeton.edu/~mchudnov/

Photo: from Maria's homepage



The essay we mentioned:

W.T. Gowers "The two cultures of mathematics"

https://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~wtg10/2cultures.pdf



0:00 teaser

0:29 respect for math at home

2:43 math helps when you don’t speak the local language

6:42 building a world around a research problem

11:37 explaining math to a broad audience

16:00 giving a talk at NASA

19:42 applying graph theory to your wedding

23:16 problem solving vs learning

27:58 being bad at math olympiads 

30:40 working with your own students

33:23 experience of doing a PhD

36:02 memorizing math 

37:55 studying physics vs math

43:43 maintaining a work-life balance

49:08 everyone has self-doubts

50:54 first time teaching a class

55:46 final advice

Tomer Schlank is a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, working in homotopy theory and arithmetic geometry. In this interview, Tomer shares his experience of advising a big group of students, speaks about the importance of embracing the struggle, and explains how to get unstuck in a math problem.



Tomer's homepage: https://mathematics.huji.ac.il/people/tomer-schlank



Photo: from Tomer's homepage



0:00 teaser

0:31 astronaut’s dreams

4:06 enjoying the struggle

8:27 top-down thinking

11:35 seminar with physicists

14:52 math dream with Vesna Stojanoska

19:24 taking breaks in projects

22:32 advising 11 students

26:47 doing math & drinking arak

31:14 being stuck is good for you

34:49 how to get unstuck

38:08 don’t worry about talent

42:33 why people hate math

45:36 run towards the problem

48:25 don’t look down on other parts of math

51:43 final advice

Saul Glasman worked in homotopy theory and K-theory, and now works as a software engineer. In this interview, we discuss the hardships of academic jobmarket, fears around leaving math, and the fundamental problems in academia.



Saul's homepage: http://www-users.math.umn.edu/~sglasman/

Photo: from his website



#mathematician​​​​​​ #mathlife​​​​​​ #interview​​​​​​ 

#academiavsindustry #leavingacademia #jobmarketacademia



0:00 teaser

0:44 always loved math

2:04 why left academia

8:55  the fears of leaving

14:02 staying in touch with math

20:33 send greetings to Saul :)

21:55 stigma around leaving academia

25:13 problems in academia

30:11 we aren't taught to teach

35:50 there's freedom in industry

37:36 and you feel productive!

42:44 social interactions: academia vs industry

45:19 learning effective team work

49:15 you can learn to enjoy a job

52:20 why can't we do internships

55:47 what you wish you knew

59:02 advice for those who have doubts