Welcome
Welcome As the Head of School, I would like to warmly welcome you to the web pages of School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics. Our School is one of the best mathematics departments in Australia, achieving an “above-world standard” classification in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) rankings¹. In our School, we provide a learning and research environment that is supported by highly-qualified academic staff with expertise covering a wide range of sub-disciplines within the mathematical sciences.
With a comprehensive and exciting set of degrees, we provide a range of course options, including those with maximum flexibility and those with a strong industry focus, which are fully accredited by the relevant professional bodies. Our courses are reviewed regularly and inputs from stakeholders in industry and other disciplines are sought to ensure our degrees adequately prepare students for the current workplace environment. A range of undergraduate scholarships and Dean’s Scholars options are available for high achieving students.
At the undergraduate level, we have Bachelor of Mathematics (Advanced) and the Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance (Dean Scholar) options for outstanding students. All these degrees have been accredited by the Australian Mathematical Society. The Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance degree includes four exciting major studies, and these majors articulate into Masters programs and are accredited by ASIC and FINSIA. While the BMathEd degree is aimed at prospective high school Mathematics teachers and produces graduates who are qualified to teach mathematics in high schools, the newly-developed BMedMath degree is established to provide students with the skills needed to pursue careers in mathematics, statistics, medical research and industry, in areas such as genetics, epidemiology, medical imaging, drug delivery, neurophysiology and pharmacokinetics. There is also a range of double degree options combining mathematics with other areas of study within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences and within the university. Above all, we have a comprehensive Honours program for undergraduate students who prefer to add a research component to their undergraduate education. An Honours Degree will considerably widen the career opportunities of a graduate as a professional mathematician/statistician, and is also the normal mode of entry for higher research studies towards either a Masters Degree or a PhD degree.
We currently offer a number of popular one-year (48cp) coursework Masters degrees including
- Master of Mathematical Studies
- Master of Mathematics
- Master of Statistics
- Master of Financial Mathematics.
We also have a two-year (96cp) coursework Masters program, which combines a one-year (48cp) Master of Mathematical Sciences Studies degree with one of the three existing one-year (48cp) Masters degrees. The School takes pride in its quality of learning and teaching.
The School has established an enviable reputation for being research-intensive in nature and our academic research staff are internationally recognised as leaders in their respective fields. Currently, among 6 full professors, we have a Distinguished Professor in Statistics, who is among Thomson Reuters ISI’s elite group of highly-cited mathematical scientists, an ARC-funded Future Fellow, two externally funded professors (one by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the other by CSIRO and Grains Research Development Corporation partnership). Among junior staff members, we have two staff members, who are fully funded by ARC’s DECRA program between 2014-2016 and 2016-2018, respectively.
The School has enjoyed outstanding research achievements. In the past 3 years (2011-2013), our staff members have published a total of 282 papers in reputable international journals; approximately 48% of them are in ERA-A* and A categories. Also in the past three years alone, the School has been awarded a total of 9 ARC Discovery and Linkage grants and has graduated 47 PhD students.
As a result of all of the above, we are unique in our capacity to leverage our research into topical subject content. Our research covers a wide range of pure mathematics, applied mathematics and applied statistics, with strongly focused areas in Operators Algebra, Differential Geometry, Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations, Financial Mathematics and Statistical Survey Methodology. We host one of the thirteen UOW Research Strengths, the NIASRA (the National Institute for Applied Statistics Research Statistical Australia).
We have a very strong postgraduate program with over 45 currently-enrolled research students (PhD and MPhil) and a similar number of postgraduate coursework students. Potential students can contact individual supervisors directly or the relevant degree coordinator.
Thank you for being interested in our School’s profile and browsing over our website. If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly or any of our staff members.
Professor Aidan Sims
Head of School
¹ Under the most recently released ERA ranking 2015, our 0101 sub-disciplinary area (pure mathematics) is ranked with a score 4 while the 0102 and 0104 sub-disciplinary areas (applied mathematics and applied statistics, respectively) are ranked with the maximum score 5 (“above-world standard”).