Congratulations to new IMA Councillor, Professor Sara Lombardo FIMA (Loughborough University), and Professor Apala Majumdar FIMA (University of Strathclyde), who were presented (virtually for 2020) with Suffrage Science Awards last November.
Dr Martine J. Barons CMath FIMA, Vice President, Learned Society, said:
The IMA is delighted to receive news that two of its members, Professors Apala Majumdar and Sara Lombardo are among the 11 mathematicians and computer scientists, from across the world, to receive Suffrage Science Awards in recognition of their scientific achievements and the work they do to promote STEM for the next generation. The awards are well deserved by these outstanding mathematicians.
The Suffrage Science Awards are heirloom pieces of jewellery passed from one recipient to the next, with each winner choosing who to pass the award on to after two years.
On her nomination of Professor Apala Majumdar, 2018 winner Dr Nina Snaith said:
Apala does outstanding research in liquid crystals and partially ordered materials. She stands out because of the vast array of collaborations she maintains, from pure mathematicians to projects with industry. Her absolute dedication to mathematics has led to a brilliant and prolific output of interdisciplinary work.
On her nomination of Professor Sara Lombardo, Dr Eugénie Hunsicker said:
Professor Lombardo is a brilliant and innovative mathematician working in the area of integrable systems, with a particular interest in the deep connections between algebra and integrable systems that are of relevance for areas as diverse as mathematical physics and number theory.
She is a fantastic role model for women in mathematics, and has also demonstrated a long-standing commitment to improving diversity in mathematics. She is the current chair of the Advisory Board for NUSTEM, an organisation that works with schools, parents and employers to involve a broader and more diverse set of students than traditionally reached. As part of this, she has collaborated on the Giant Waves project in schools that links mathematics, art and the environment.
At the other end of careers, she has been part of the EPSRC Mathematical Sciences Strategic Advisory Team, working to influence funding policy to bring about better funding outcomes in terms of diversity. In this role she has recently been named as an EDI champion.
The Suffrage Science scheme was founded by the Medical Research Council’s London Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Maths and Computing Awards were instituted in 2016. It celebrates and inspires women in science, creating a self-perpetuating cohort of talent that will encourage others to enter science and reach senior leadership roles.
Reproduced from Mathematics Today, February 2021
Download the article, Suffrage Science Awards Celebrate Women in STEM (pdf)
