Muhammed M.
PhD MathematicsWhich university are you studying at?
Imperial College London.
What subjects and qualifications did you take at school or college (e.g. A Levels, IB, BTECs, EPQ)?
Maths, Further Maths, Additional Further Maths, Physics, IT.
Why did you decide to pursue this degree at university?
I simply enjoyed Mathematics and couldn’t imagine studying anything else at university.
What does an average day or week at university look like for you (e.g. lectures, practicals, independent study, other interests)?
As a PhD student each week can be completely different. Most of my working time in a typical week is split between independent research, teaching undergraduate courses and attending seminars. Some weeks, however, I may be attending lectures on topics which are relevant to my research, or travelling to academic conferences within and outside of the UK. My primary duty is research which means that I try to solve mathematical problems which we don’t yet know the answers to. As an example, one such problem could be to figure out whether a certain (differential) equation has a solution or not. This usually involves reading research papers to learn how other mathematicians dealt with similar problems, discussing with experts in the area (usually my supervisor) and attempting many different mathematical techniques until I find an approach that works.
What aspect of your course do you most enjoy?
The creativity. At the research level Mathematics is an incredibly creative discipline since we have to solve problems that have not been solved before. This often requires coming up with new ideas and approaches which can be an exciting process – especially when your ideas work!
What do you find most challenging about your degree?
Dealing with the uncertain nature of research. You might spend weeks trying to solve a problem, only to make almost no progress. Or you might spend weeks writing up a solution, only to later find that a small calculation error at the beginning completely nullifies the rest of your work! These things happen to almost every PhD student and can of course be incredibly frustrating.
What are your aspirations after your degree?
I am unsure as of now, but two options would be to either continue with research mathematics through a postdoctoral position, or begin working in industry (perhaps in the finance or tech sectors).
What would be your top piece of advice for anyone wanting to study mathematics?
Do it only if you enjoy it! Mathematics (especially at an advanced level) requires a lot of hard work and resilience to excel at. Having some sort of passion for the subject is what will help you to push through and succeed.
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