New research institute to transform mathematics in Australia

A new maths institute will be established at the University of Sydney thanks to a $5 million donation. Based on prestigious overseas models, it will be the first of its kind in Australia. A new mathematics research institute at the University of Sydney will draw leading mathematicians from all over the world. The institute - to be directed by Professor Geordie Williamson and Professor Anthony Henderson from the School of Mathematics and Statistics - will offer long-term residencies for international maths experts, offering them the chance to focus on research without the usual demands of teaching and administration. When it opens later this year, the institute will be the first of its kind in Australia. Its researcher-in-residence model is based on international examples, such as Germany's prestigious Max Planck Institute for Mathematics. "It will put Australia on the map as a place to do first-rate mathematics," said Williamson.