Isaac Newton Institute

{{Short description|International research institute}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} [[File:Isaac Newton Institute building.jpg|thumb|250px|Main building for the Isaac Newton Institute]] '''The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences''' is an international research institute for mathematics and its applications at the [[University of Cambridge]]. It is named after one of the university's most illustrious figures, the mathematician and natural philosopher [[Sir Isaac Newton]], and occupies one of the buildings in the Cambridge [[Centre for Mathematical Sciences (Cambridge)|Centre for Mathematical Sciences]].

==History== [[File:cmglee_Cambridge_Isaac_Newton_Institute_first_floor.jpg|thumb|View of the interior of the Isaac Newton Institute building showing its large number of blackboards]] After a national competition run by SERC, the Science and Engineering Research Council (now known as EPSRC [[Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council]]), this institute was chosen to be the national research institute for mathematical sciences in the UK.<ref name=hist/> It opened in 1992 with support from [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]].<ref name=hist>{{cite web |url=https://www.newton.ac.uk/about/history |title=A Brief History of the Newton Institute |publisher=newton.ac.uk |access-date=7 September 2014}}</ref> St. John's provided the land and a purpose-built building, Trinity provided running costs for the first five years and the [[London Mathematical Society]] provided other support.<ref name=hist/>

Shortly afterwards at the institute, the British mathematician [[Andrew Wiles]] announced his approach to proving [[Fermat's Last Theorem]] in three lectures on 21–23 June 1993.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/24/us/at-last-shout-of-eureka-in-age-old-math-mystery.html |title=At Last, Shout of 'Eureka!' In Age-Old Math Mystery |author=Gina Kolata |date=24 June 1993 |access-date=10 September 2014 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> In 1999 the institute was awarded a Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of "world-class achievement in education." Although it is part of the national infrastructure for mathematical research, it is formally part of the [[University of Cambridge]], from which it receives some funding. Nowadays five UK Research Councils, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, NERC, STFC support about 55% of its activity. A number of philanthropic individuals, family and educational trusts, private companies and bodies associated with the [[University of Cambridge]] give their support.<ref name="hist" />

==Scientific programmes== There are typically two or three programmes at any one time, each with up to twenty people and lasting between 4 weeks and 6 months.<ref name=sp>{{cite web |url=https://www.newton.ac.uk/science/programmes |title=Scientific Programmes |publisher=newton.ac.uk |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> During these periods of activity there are courses and workshops for the attendees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ima.org.uk/viewItem.cfm-cit_id=383388.html |title=The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences |publisher=ima.org.uk |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref>

Programmes are chosen from proposals that cover the entire range of mathematical sciences and their applications by a Scientific Steering Committee of mathematical scientists solely on their scientific merit and the likelihood that they will have significant impact in their subject.<ref name=sp/>

Although programmes are normally residential and planned several years ahead, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], an urgent 6-workshop virtual programme on the Infectious Dynamics of Pandemics was approved and ran from April to September 2020. This was a successor to a 2013 programme on Infectious Disease Dynamics, and was complemented by virtual study groups and commissioned modelling for government.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Getting the most out of maths: How to coordinate mathematical modelling research to support a pandemic, lessons learnt from three initiatives that were part of the COVID-19 response in the UK|author = Dangerfield, CE|year = 2023|issue = 557|doi = 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111332|journal = Journal of Theoretical Biology | volume=557 |doi-access = free| pmid=36323393 | pmc=9618296 | bibcode=2023JThBi.55711332D }}</ref>

==Directors== * 1991–1996 Sir [[Michael Atiyah]] OM FRS * 1996–2001 [[Keith Moffatt]] FRS * 2001–2006 Sir [[John Kingman]] FRS * 2006–2011 Sir [[David Wallace (physicist)|David Wallace]] CBE FRS * 2011–2016 [[John Toland (mathematician)|John Toland]] FRS * 2016–2021 [[David Abrahams (mathematician)|David Abrahams]] * 2021– [[Ulrike Tillmann]] FRS

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} *{{Official website|https://www.newton.ac.uk/}} *[http://www.cam.ac.uk/map/v3/drawmap.cgi?mp=main;xx=1100;yy=560 Interactive map] of the Mathematical Sciences site including links to the departments.

{{University of Cambridge}} {{Isaac Newton}} {{The European Mathematical Society}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|52.20989|N|0.10287|E|source:placeopedia|display=title}}

[[Category:Research institutes established in 1992]] [[Category:Mathematical institutes]] [[Category:Institutions in the School of the Physical Sciences, University of Cambridge]] [[Category:Research institutes in Cambridge]]