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James Kiln

    • About Me:

      I’m a maths PhD student and a very keen amateur double bassist. I enjoy cooking, exploring for good food and making my own gelato.

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      I play the double bass in a few different orchestras and especially enjoy Mahler symphonies. I’ve been making gelato for about six years and always enjoy becoming obsessed with new food projects too, anything from baking bread to fermenting soy beans to researching Italian pasta dishes.

    • My pronouns are:

      he/him

    • How I use Maths in my work:

      In my area we draw on tools from all across maths, from studying polynomials (think generalising the quadratic formula, at some point there is no formula but there are still things one can do) to smooth functions on the real/complex numbers (or other number systems) like generalisations of sin and cos. There are many surprising correspondences between seemingly very different parts of maths, a large amount of research goes into studying theses correspondences.

    • My Work:

      My maths research is in algebraic number theory, we use techniques similar to those used by Andrew Wiles in his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, a super important part of recent maths history!

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      I study a complex correspondence between two seemingly very different areas of maths. On one side, symmetries of numbers, like how 2 has two square roots in the real numbers and a lot of arithmetic stays the same if you swap them; and on the other side, smooth functions with certain symmetries, perhaps like some vast generalisation of thinks like sine and cosine.

    • My Typical Day:

      I usually get into work around 10am, where I juggle reading through different maths papers, adapting their ideas to the problem I am currently working on and writing up what I have been able to prove so far. I have lunch with the other maths PhD students and then it’s back to work in the afternoon before heading home at around 5pm.

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      As a pure mathematician, most of my work can be done with pencil and paper and involves a lot of struggling to understand complex new concepts and persistently trying to figure out how to adapt complicated ideas to new settings. In the maths department here, there is a really nice friendly atmosphere and most of the PhD students head up to the common room for lunch together. Since we all research very different areas of maths, the conversation is rarely mathematical, which makes a nice break. After heading home, I usually dash off to an orchestral rehearsal or get busy cooking.

    CV

    • Education:

      I went to school at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, where I studied Maths, Physics and Chemistry; then went to Cambridge for my undergrad degree in mathematics and stayed an extra year for the integrated masters. After that, I began my PhD at QMUL in 2022 and am currently in my final year.

    • Qualifications:

      GCSEs: 8 A*, 2 A

      A-levels: A* in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, A in Chemistry

      Undergrad: First Class BA degree in Mathematics

      Masters: MMath with distinction

    • Work History:

      Lots of online tutoring covering university entrance exams, A-levels and UKMT/Olympiad mathematics.

      I also often help set up recording equipment for classical music recordings.

    • Current Job:

      PhD Student

    • Employer:

      Queen Mary University of London

    • My Interview

      • What did you want to be after you left school?

        Didn't know, just wanted to learn more maths.

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Very rarely, and only for splashing water at friends.

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Gelatiere (someone who makes gelato)

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Berlin Philharmoniker

        What's your favourite food?

        Gelato

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