INI is pleased to announce that Professor Chris Breward has been appointed as the inaugural Scientific Director of the UK’s new Knowledge Exchange Hub for Mathematical Sciences (KE Hub). He joins existing KE Manager Rachael Harris, who together will drive knowledge exchange in the mathematical sciences at the national level.
Professor Breward has a long history of knowledge-exchange-rich research, and has used mathematics to address outstanding challenges with over 40 different business groups and companies. Amongst many other outcomes, his research has been used for applications as diverse as making “ultrathin” glass sheets viable, and enhancing the operation of sulphur-dioxide-removing filters.
Since 2014, he has been the co-Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Industrially Focused Mathematical Modelling at the University of Oxford’s Mathematical Institute. During that time, he has overseen:
All the projects focused on company-specific challenges and were co-funded with industry.
He is the co-founding Chief Moderator of Mathematics-In-Industry Reports, an online repository run by Cambridge University Press and designed to enable fast dissemination of the results from knowledge exchange activities arising from mathematics study groups around the world.
Professor Breward said: “I am delighted to have recently started as the Scientific Director of the UK’s new Knowledge Exchange Hub for Mathematical Sciences. I am looking forward to working with the Mathematical Sciences community to build upon the UK’s world-leading successful activity in Knowledge Exchange and to expanding and enhancing the scale and range of our collective endeavours. We have an exciting time ahead as we launch some early KE Hub initiatives, such as establishing a KE Champion’s congress, offering funding for some KE activities, and providing easy-to-access signposting of opportunities to engage in KE activities, in order to benefit Mathematical Sciences departments across the UK.”
Professor Ulrike Tillmann, Director of INI – which has and continues to support the development of the KE Hub – said: “We are delighted that Chris has taken this pivotal national role in Knowledge Exchange for the mathematical sciences. Few have done so much in this area, and we are looking forward to the unfolding of the KE Hub’s ambitious plans.“
(below, Professor Chris Breward)