Dr Asilata Bapat, a pure mathematics researcher from The Australian National University (ANU), is challenging stereotypes in mathematics, using personal stories to showcase the creativity and variety in maths and dispel myths that it’s just number-crunching or blackboard staring.
Bapat is the 2025 UNSW Women in Mathematics and Statistics Ambassador, and recently spoke at the the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Mathematics and Statistics outreach event ‘DO THE MATHS’. The outreach event encourages young women to consider tertiary studies and careers in mathematics, and recently marked it’s twentieth anniversary.
She presented a talk that posed the question to the audience, ‘What does a mathematician do all day?’
Using examples from her own experiences, Bapat emphasised the creativity and sheer variety involved in a mathematics career, dispelling any misconceptions that the answer might be ‘Simply multiplying larger and larger numbers together’ or ‘Just staring at the blackboard until you discover something’.
In her presentation at DO THE MATHS 2025, Bapat pondered what it’s like to be a mathematician. Her answer was a list that resonated with everyone in the room.
“It’s messy, collaborative, hard, fun, creative, abstract, experimental, social, and beautiful,” says Bapat.
She told the audience that if you want to work with the world’s best minds (and travel!) - become a mathematician.
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Read more about the event: UNSW: DO THE MATHS 2025