THE UNIVERSITY of Reading is set to create a new mathematics centre following a multi-million pound investment.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has awarded £16 million of funding to the university as part of a wider investment, constituting around £1 billion.
It will go towards the building of the Mathematics for our Future Climate Centre for Doctoral Training, through which the university seeks to address the mathematical challenged raised by climate issues.
Students will learn key skills in mathematical modelling, scientific computing, and data science with a view to addressing diverse and complicated problems posed by climate change.
It will focus on understanding the fundamental mathematical advances needed to react to the climate crisis, quantify and manage risks, developing methods of using computing and big data.
They’ll also help ensure economic prosperity and fairness, optimising renewable energy methods, and developing more toolds to enable transparent, accessible, and scalable data analysis.
It will be a joint venture between the university, Imperial College London, and the Universtiy of Southampton, as well as industrial partners and ocean, weather, and climate services.
Professor Jennifer Scott, of the University of Reading’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, will lead Reading’s involvement in the CDT.
She said: “Mathematics plays a crucial role in our understanding of climate change and how we fight it.
“Mathematics helps us answer key questions about extreme weather, melting ice, droughts, and changing ecosystems.
“The CDT will bring together people studying maths with those studying climate. Joining forces will enable us to find solutions and make progress in dealing with the biggest issue our planet is facing.
“The CDT will have a lasting effect on the capability to inform decisions and efforts related to climate change.”
