Hugo Parlier and Giovanni Peccati are passionate about mathematics and teaching it. They are sure: “Mathematics is a place for exploration and discovery”.
Sometimes dreaded by students at school, the discipline is a gateway to rewarding career paths that include finance, consultancy, IT and research. “And let’s not forget the openings that we don’t yet know about,” adds Hugo Parlier, professor at Uni.lu.
‟ In recent years, mathematics has become a flagship degree at American universities because these graduates have the highest rate of professional fulfilment. With this educational basis, you will be able to work on a lot of things, some of which we don’t even know about today. For instance, the onset of data science shows that the world is changing. And those who understand that have a competitive advantage over other candidates”
Students supported throughout their studies
At the University of Luxembourg, more than a hundred students are enrolled in the Bachelor degree in mathematics, and nearly 90 are enrolled in one of the three Master programmes dedicated to the discipline. According to Giovanni Peccati, Head of the Department of Mathematics, there are twice as many undergraduates as there were five years ago.
And to help them get to grips with the subject, students can count on invaluable support activities such as the Math Camp, a preliminary course starting two weeks before the first semester of the Bachelor degree. Throughout the course, teachers tutor students and accompany them in their progress. Students also benefit from a personal approach in practical sessions, with a maximum of 15 students per assistant. Doctoral candidates and post-docs are responsible for Math Forge, a tutoring system focused on advanced concepts.
“The cornerstone of the department is research”, says Hugo Parlier. The University has an excellent research output, with one doctoral student for every seven students enrolled, and the Department of Mathematics Department following this trend.
Varied areas of research
Research in the department is diverse and internationally recognised. For example, in 2023, all three Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) fellowships in geometry will have been awarded to the University of Luxembourg. Research in this field is at an advanced stage here, along with theoretical and applied statistics, for example, and the study of fluctuations in large-scale random structures.
Hugo Parlier likens teaching maths at secondary school to teaching music without an instrument. “At university, students can play the instrument, and from there, the field of exploration of mathematics is infinite”.
This is probably the paradox of mathematics, for which no formula exists to date: considered a selection tool for pupils at secondary school, the discipline is explored in much greater depth at university, revealing all its richness and stimulating the curiosity of students.
The Department of Mathematics has around fifteen professors, a contingent that is continuously growing and welcoming more women. And at the end of 2023, the first graduates of the Master in Data Science will have received their diploma. Here too, it is a key that opens more than just one door. Since 2019, Unesco has been organising International Mathematics Day on the 14 March. Previously, many countries had chosen this same date – 3/14 in the Anglo-Saxon script – to celebrate Pi Day, which we know begins with 3.14. Logical, perhaps? Mathematical, certainly!
