Emma Foulger

Was there a big transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study?

It was definitely a big change suddenly being classed as a postgraduate researcher – along with much less contact time etc. it also meant being a PGTA and helping the department in lectures and with marking. This was a great and really valuable experience though, whatever you decide to do after.

Have you joined any clubs or societies, gone on any research trips or done any volunteering?

During my undergraduate years I was a member of Filmsoc, and was on the committee in my third year – a great society that literally just allows you to watch films on a big screen twice every week, along with cinema trips each term! I was also a member of various music societies/groups including playing in the UoB Symphony Orchestra and for the Gilbert and Sullivan society.

There are so many societies here that you’ll be spoilt for choice – there will definitely be something that you’re interested in. This year, to help with my Masters, I went to a CoDima event in Edinburgh for a week where I learnt how to use various programmes to do maths and attended some lectures on Group Theory and Number Theory.

What was your motivation for undertaking postgraduate study?

While nearing the end of my undergraduate course in Maths and Music, I was still really enjoying studying maths and simply didn’t want to stop. Generally, with Pure Mathematics there aren’t many options apart from going straight on to a PhD, and due to doing a joint-honours course I was also slightly restricted in masters courses available to me.

The MRes at Birmingham, however, has been the perfect solution for me! Allowing me to continue studying pure mathematics, as well as being introduced into the research life of the maths department here – this has given me a really good idea of what it would actually be like to do a PhD and very much helped me to make some decisions about the future.

Can you describe your journey from school to where you are now?

Music has been a major part of my life for a long time – ever since starting playing the piano at age 6. However I got more and more interested in maths while at school, particularly when I did Additional Maths and then Further Maths at A Level. A joint-honours course was therefore the perfect solution for me! By the beginning of third year I knew that I wanted to continue with maths, but didn’t want to commit to a PhD considering how long it would take. By doing the MRes it has only been one extra year, but still enabled me to take part in the postgraduate life of the maths department.