Living Proof: the Isaac Newton Institute podcast

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences
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The Isaac Newton Institute is the world's foremost mathematical research centre. Living Proof aims to highlight the diverse people and interconnected topics linked to its many activities. Interviewees range from visiting academics and lecturers to mathematicians, other scientists, musicians, artists, students, and prominent figures within the University of Cambridge and beyond. The podcast typically involves mathematical themes, but is specifically aimed at a general audience. The focus is on the subjects being interviewed and the social stories they have to tell, not just on the significance and details of the research they may be undertaking. We hope there is interest and inspiration here for everyone.- The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (UK) is an international research centre based in Cambridge, UK. A part of the University of Cambridge, it has been hosting research programmes on mathematical themes since July 1992. Visit > www.newton.ac.uk/news/ini-podcast

  1. 3d ago

    Choosing collaboration in the age of AI with Robert Robere - Episode #80

    Send us Fan Mail Field-altering, AI-assisted mathematical results are coming out every day. The pace is blistering. How are the maths and theoretical computer science community handling this rapid change? For some, they're choosing collaboration. We spoke with Dr Robert Robere, one of the participants in the current Logical Foundations of Complexity programme, to learn more about how their community is changing the way it collaborates to make progress, together. Having recently been granted tenure, Dr Robere is at an inflection point in his career. He is no longer in the start-up phase, but nor is he yet considered senior. He is visiting the INI during his first sabbatical, and AI is radically shifting the mathematical landscape. This is mirroring his experience when he started his first faculty position during COVID, which radically shifted the way people work. Dr Robert Robere is an associate professor in the School of Computer Science at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He completed his undergraduate in Newfoundland before moving to Toronto for graduate studies under the supervision of Turing Award winner Stephen Cook and Toniann Pitassi.  He now runs his own group focused on using mathematical tools to understand the nature of computation. We caught up with him while he was in Cambridge for two months on an INI programme. The episode was recorded on September 29, 2026. ----  This episode was supported by the quantitative research firm G-Research, which has launched a new series of mathematical puzzles called G-Riddles. It's free to try and could win you a cash prize: https://www.gresearch.com/griddles/ Living Proof is the podcast of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period. Produced by Jon Farrow. Edited by Keerthi Raj. Music: 'Origami' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

    Choosing collaboration in the age of AI with Robert Robere - Episode #80

  2. Oct 2

    The mathematics underpinning AI with Gitta Kutyniok - Episode #79

    Send us Fan Mail AI is fundamentally mathematical, and AI systems are changing what is possible in mathematics. This is a turbulent time for the field. We spoke with Professor Gitta Kutyniok, who visited the INI in August as part of the Operator methods for dynamical systems programme. An expert in the mathematics underpinning AI, she had a fascinating take on the impact of AI on research, education, and society more widely. Professor Kutyniok holds the Chair for Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at LMU Munich, where she focuses on "the intersection of mathematics and artificial intelligence, aiming for both a mathematical understanding of artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence for mathematical problems." The episode was recorded on August 6, 2026. --- This episode was supported by the quantitative research firm G-Research, which has launched a new series of mathematical puzzles called G-Riddles. It's free to try and could win you a cash prize: https://www.gresearch.com/griddles/ Living Proof is the podcast of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period. Produced by Jon Farrow. Edited by Keerthi Raj. Music: 'Origami' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

    The mathematics underpinning AI with Gitta Kutyniok - Episode #79

  3. Sep 2

    Can maths predict your energy use? with Dr Ellen Zapata-Webborn - Episode #78

    Send us Fan Mail Human behaviour is messy. People aren't always perfectly rational and don't always have the right information to make perfect decisions. But can mathematics help us model the way people will act in a given situation so that we can better prepare our energy grids and health systems? We spoke with Dr Ellen Zapata-Webborn, a Senior Research Fellow in Data Science and End Use Energy Demand at the UCL Energy Institute, where she works on the Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) project. She was also an organiser for the INI's satellite programme on Mathematics for Human Behaviour, which took place from July 20th to August 14th at the University of Nottingham. In a wide-ranging discussion, we talk about career paths in behaviour modelling, how time in industry can give a fresh perspective, what useful patterns might be hiding in smart meter data, and the potential benefits of interdisciplinary working. --- This episode was supported by the quantitative research firm G-Research, which has launched a new series of mathematical puzzles called G-Riddles. It's free to try and could win you a cash prize: https://www.gresearch.com/griddles/ Living Proof is the podcast of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period. Produced by Jon Farrow. Edited by Keerthi Raj. Music: 'Origami' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

  4. Aug 6

    ArXiv in the age of AI with Professor Ramin Zabih - Episode #77

    Send us Fan Mail How have pre-prints and ArXiv changed the landscape of mathematical publishing? And how is AI changing ArXiv? Plus Magazine editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger sat down with Professor Ramin Zabih, one of the leaders of ArXiv, when he came to visit the INI for our AI for Maths and Open Science in April.  Watch the talk he gave here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyT0Z94kvGU  --- Living Proof is the podcast of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period.  Produced by Marianne Freiberger and Rachel Thomas, from Plus Magazine.

    ArXiv in the age of AI with Professor Ramin Zabih - Episode #77

  5. Jul 8

    Quantum chaos and simple equations with Prof Jens Marklof - Episode #76

    Send us Fan Mail A chaotic system is one where the outcome is sensitively dependent on initial conditions. Small disturbances can take the system in new, unpredictable directions. Professor Jens Marklof has built a successful career understanding the mathematics that underpin the chaos of quantum systems.  His career, or indeed any academic career, is a kind of chaotic system. You never know which meeting or conversation will send you off in a new direction. In a fascinating conversation, we explore key moments and opportunities in his career, like introducing himself to Peter Sarnak or sharing an office with David Thouless, shaped the scientist he is today.  Jens was the Rothschild Distinguished Visiting Fellow for the Isaac Newton Institute's programme on Geometric Spectral Theory. His public lecture, "The quantum centenary: from order to chaos"  celebrated the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics. --- This episode was supported by the quantitative research firm G-Research, which has launched a new series of mathematical puzzles called G-Riddles. It's free to try and could win you a cash prize: https://www.gresearch.com/griddles/ Living Proof is the podcast of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period. Produced by Jon Farrow. Edited by Keerthi Raj. Music: 'Origami' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

    Quantum chaos and simple equations with Prof Jens Marklof - Episode #76

  6. May 13

    A family of group theorists - Episode #75

    Send us Fan Mail A father, two of his children, and a family friend — all mathematicians — made progress on a long-standing problem in group theory by coming together at the Isaac Newton Institute. Listen as Plus Magazine editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger interview Roman Sauer, and Uri, Saar, and Shaked Bader to find out more about their research and paths to mathematics. The Operators, Groups, and Graphs programme was in residence at the INI from July to December 2025: https://www.newton.ac.uk/event/ogg/ The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period. newton.ac.uk

    A family of group theorists - Episode #75

  7. Apr 24

    Revealing the secrets of Sanskrit mathematics with Prof Clemency Montelle - Episode #74

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Professor Clemency Montelle all about her work decoding the mathematics of ancient manuscripts. In a wide-ranging discussion, we cover some of the concepts that first arose in India, hear about a mentor who hosted meals based on ancient recipes, and learn how important cultural and historical context is for the questions that mathematicians ask. While she was at the INI, Professor Montelle delivered the Kirk Lecture for the Modern History of Mathematics Programme, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa2kN-li984  --- This episode was supported by the quantitative research firm G-Research, which has launched a new series of mathematical puzzles called G-Riddles. It's free to try and could win you a cash prize: https://www.gresearch.com/griddles/ Living Proof is the podcast of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  The Isaac Newton Institute is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs research programmes on selected themes in mathematics and the mathematical sciences with applications over a wide range of science and technology. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas to interact in research over an extended period. Produced by Jon Farrow. Edited by Keerthi Raj. Music: 'Origami' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au ---- **Correction** At 5:26, the date of the earliest numerical tables is the beginning of the second millenium before the Common Era.

    Revealing the secrets of Sanskrit mathematics with Prof Clemency Montelle - Episode #74

  8. 11/24/2025

    #73 Building digital hearts

    Send us Fan Mail Imagine if your doctor had a digital model of your heart, personalised to you and updated with your latest medical information. This isn't science fiction – this revolutionary healthcare is being tested now. In this podcast we speak to Steven Niederer, who leads the CVDNet project developing and testing these ideas, and his colleague Richard Wilkinson, from the University of Nottingham. Richard is one of the organisers of the long research programme, Representing, calibrating & leveraging prediction uncertainty from statistics to machine learning (RCL), held earlier this year at the Isaac Newton Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (INI). We first spoke to Steven back in 2019 when he helped organise the Fickle Heart programme at the INI. In this podcast, Richard and Steven tell us about digital twins, digital hearts, and how the RCL programme and CVDNet build on the work started back in 2019 with the Fickle Heart programme. You can find out more about some of the ideas discussed in this podcast in these short introductions: Maths in a Minute: Mathematical modelsMaths in a Minute: Differential equationsMaths in Minute: Machine learning

    #73 Building digital hearts
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About

The Isaac Newton Institute is the world's foremost mathematical research centre. Living Proof aims to highlight the diverse people and interconnected topics linked to its many activities. Interviewees range from visiting academics and lecturers to mathematicians, other scientists, musicians, artists, students, and prominent figures within the University of Cambridge and beyond. The podcast typically involves mathematical themes, but is specifically aimed at a general audience. The focus is on the subjects being interviewed and the social stories they have to tell, not just on the significance and details of the research they may be undertaking. We hope there is interest and inspiration here for everyone.- The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (UK) is an international research centre based in Cambridge, UK. A part of the University of Cambridge, it has been hosting research programmes on mathematical themes since July 1992. Visit > www.newton.ac.uk/news/ini-podcast

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