(above) Physical participants in "The power of women in deep learning" workshop, 22-23 November 2021.

INI NEWS BULLETIN
November 2021

Dear friends, associates and supporters of INI,

Welcome to the November 2021 edition of our monthly news bulletin. We hope it finds you well as the "icy fang and churlish chiding of the winter's wind" sets upon the Northern Hemisphere.

This month, we're celebrating an award for a significant knowledge exchange initiative, speaking to an early career trio of Simons-sponsored fellows, promoting a collaborative event with the Alan Turing Institute, and considering our Life Decisions in Mathematics.

But before that, our "news in brief" is as follows...

• The next biannual deadline for submitting INI programme proposals is fast approaching! Submissions for standard INI programmes must be submitted by 31 January 2022. Full details are available here: www.newton.ac.uk/events/submit-a-proposal
• ... however, this submission window is particularly dynamic, as we will also be welcoming submissions for shorter duration satellite programmes held at any suitable location throughout the UK. Further details about this new initiative will follow in a future message.
• Our Rothschild keynote public lecture series continues on 10 December with Prof Helmut Bölcskei of the Mathematics of deep learning programme. Prof Bölcskei will be discussing "The mathematical universe behind deep neural networks", and more details are available here: www.newton.ac.uk/seminar/34235/

As always, you can follow us on Twitter (as well as Instagram and Facebook) for regular updates of our activities throughout the month.

Thanks as always for your continued support.

- INI Communications team

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(above) One of INI's break-out area blackboards, 22/11/2021

Awards: “KE Team of the Year” prize for INI-backed knowledge exchange initiative.

The INI backed “Virtual Forum for Knowledge Exchange in Mathematical Sciences [V-KEMS]” initiative was awarded “KE Team of the Year” at the annual PraxisAuril KE Awards 2021.

PraxisAuril is the UK’s professional association for Knowledge Exchange practitioners, with its range of annual awards representing the highest accolade of industry recognition within the sector.

The 2021 virtual “black tie” awards ceremony took place on the afternoon of Thursday 20 November, with the 17 shortlisted finalists picked from a pool of 60 overall entrants being invited to attend. Each finalist was asked to give a short summary of their group’s achievements before the winners in each of the six categories were announced. V-KEMS was awarded “KE Team of the Year” by Simon Bond (Innovation Director, SETsquared Partnership), beating two other candidates to the title. The Awards were sponsored by UKRI, the UK’s research and innovation funding body.

“I am absolutely delighted for the V-KEMS team and everybody associated with them. Knowledge exchange is a powerful tool when it comes to making the most of research for society. This team prize highlights what we can do when we work together across institutions and across discipline boundaries for the greater good. Many congratulations to a fantastic team and many thanks to the Newton Gateway staff for all their hard work!”

~ INI Director Prof Ulrike Tillmann

A joint project shared between INI, the Newton Gateway, the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences and the Knowledge Transfer Network [KTN], V-KEMS was founded in March 2020 to “identify a range of virtual approaches that will help address challenges from business and industry, the third sector, and other groups outside academia”. These challenges cover both those specific to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and those which were already present within knowledge exchange prior to 2020. A full background of V-KEMS can be found via the Newton Gateway website.

Visit the PraxisAuril website for a full list of categories and winners.

PODCAST(S) OF THE MONTH: Meet INI's first ever Simons Postdoctoral Fellows.

(above) Dr Emine Yildirim

(above) Dr Avi Mayorcas

(above) Dr Aluna Rizzoli.

Thanks to the generous support of the Simons Foundation, the Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Mathematics were established in 2021. The scheme was created "to enable exceptional early career researchers in the mathematical sciences to gain experience, foster independence and forge new connections, thereby assisting them during the challenging realities of COVID-19 and aiding them on their way to a successful academic career".

These prestigious one-year fellowships see successful candidates spend four-to-six months participating in an INI programme with the remainder of the period spent at either of Cambridge University’s Departments of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (DPMMS) or Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP).

To celebrate the launch of this exciting Fellowship, we have recorded podcast interviews with the first three recipients. Click the links below to access each interview:

Dr Emine Yildirim: https://www.newton.ac.uk/media/podcasts/post/meet-the-simons-postdoctoral-fellows-mini-series-1-dr-emine-yildirim/

Dr Avi Mayorcas: https://www.newton.ac.uk/media/podcasts/post/meet-the-simons-postdoctoral-fellows-mini-series-2-dr-avi-mayorcas/

Dr Aluna Rizzoli: https://www.newton.ac.uk/media/podcasts/post/meet-the-simons-postdoctoral-fellows-mini-series-3-dr-aluna-rizzoli/

WORKSHOP: Exploring AI alongside the Alan Turing Institute.

Please see below for details of an exciting collaborative event, joining together INI's ongoing "Mathematics of deep learning" programme, with London's Alan Turing Institute and a broad range of insightful speakers. Click the button below for further details and to register your attendance.  

This conference - organised under the auspices of the Isaac Newton Institute's “Mathematics of Deep Learning” Programme — brings together leading researchers along with other stakeholders in industry and society to discuss issues surrounding trustworthy artificial intelligence.

This conference will overview the state-of-the-art within the wide area of trustworthy artificial intelligence including machine learning accountability, fairness, privacy, and safety; it will  overview emerging directions in trustworthy artificial intelligence, and engage with academia, industry, policy makers, and the wider public.

PANEL SESSION: "Life Decisions in Mathematics", Wednesday 8 December, 15:00-17:00

We are pleased to announce that the panel session "Life Decisions in Mathematics" will be held on Wednesday 8 December from 15:00-17:00 in INI's Seminar Room 1. This discussion will include panelists at varying stages in their career and will explore the importance of community and the challenges that research mathematicians can face whilst trying to progress their careers without compromising other aspects of their lives.

All are welcome to attend either in person or by watching live via INI's website. The panelists are: