The School of Mathematics is very pleased to have achieved a very good performance in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) – the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The School ranked an impressive 6 out of 53 in terms of world leading and internationally excellent research outputs.
Professor Paul Flavell, Head of School, commented: “We are pleased with our REF results – they reflect a period of sustained high-performance from the research groups within the School. We have had made some excellent recent appointments to add to the calibre of our research base and in 2014 many staff were recipients of acknowledgements and awards for the impact of their research. We look forward with confidence, focusing our research strengths in to the areas of Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Theoretical and Computer Optimization”
The School’s research is having impact in a variety of areas: in the fuel and energy industries via the School’s collaborations with Statoil and Schlumberger PLC; in public health via the School’s collaborations with Birmingham Women’s hospital; and in the finance sector via the School’s collaborations with the Numerical Algorithms Group.
Highlights in Pure Mathematics are the award of London Mathematical Society Whitehead Prizes to Professors Jonathan Bennett, Daniela Kuehn and Deryk Osthus; and the award of a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to Dr David Craven.
The School of Mathematics is part of the University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences which draws together research strengths across the academic schools to focus on the wider research themes of Advanced Manufacturing, Science Frontiers, and Resilience, Energy and Sustainability. Professor John Bridgeman, College Director of Research, said: “The School of Mathematics is a key contributor to our overall research aims. Mathematics is fundamental to the breakthroughs we are making right across the spectrum of physical sciences and engineering disciplines and a source of significant and deep scholarly outcomes.”
Learn more about the School of Mathematics’ research strengths and the over-arching College research themes