Breadcrumb
Welcome to the School of Mathematics at the University of Bristol
Prof. Noah Linden, Head of School
It is an exciting time right now for the School of Mathematics. We have recently changed from being a department to a school which is a recognition of the fact that we have grown rapidly over the years: the School has more than doubled in size over the last decade.
Fundamentally, our growth has been stimulated by mathematics and statistics being vitally important disciplines that underpin a vast range of human endeavours, and with the increasing quantification and digitisation of the world they are set to become even more important. The UK and the world needs more mathematicians and statisticians.
Not only have we grown, but our research quality has become even better (see the results for the Research Assessment Exercise). This means that undergraduates in the School of Mathematics have access to some of the best brains in mathematics and statistics in the country. And we really mean that. We have top professors, including Fellows of the Royal Society, teaching some of our first-year courses, giving tutorials and undertaking projects with undergraduates.
Our philosophy is that the best mathematics education is to be provided by people who are engaged with the cutting edge of research and deeply involved in the important problems of the day, both in mathematics and the wider world. All of our academic staff are engaged in research, and the number of top papers, presentations, prizes and Fellowships produced/won by our staff is quite staggering. For more information see our News and Research pages.
Over the last few years we have invested heavily in our teaching programme. Some highlights are: introduction of a Maths Cafe to provide additional tutorial support, creation of a new 'Student Quiet Room' to enable mathematics students to work solely or in groups right here in the Maths building, revamping of the student feedback system, running focus groups, strongly supporting Matrix (the student society) and running 'top teachers' lists. We, as a community, have been doing an awful lot to ensure that our teaching and research is the best that it can be. It was pleasing to see that all of our hard work has been rewarded by our best ever results in the 2011 National Student Survey.
Even in these uncertain economic times Bristol graduates from the School are in strong demand by a wide range of employers. As Head of School I get to talk to many potential employers who make it very clear that they are interested in our graduates who they know have undertaken one of the most challenging and comprehensive programmes of Mathematics in the UK. This kind of subjective information is backed up by hard statistics such as the proportion of our students acquiring graduate jobs is the fifth highest in the country (Sunday Times University Guide).
The future home of the School
The future for the School is certainly bright. In about 2014 the building currently occupied by the School of Biological Sciences (in a prime location close to the Wills Building complex and Queen's Road) will be refurbished and reconfigured to meet the needs of a 21st-century school of mathematics with teaching spaces in various sizes, plenty of interaction spaces for students and staff, quiet space and library space. This new development will give Mathematics the top class home it deserves and will provide an excellent environment for the future researchers and students to excel in the mathematical sciences for years to come!"