Mathematics at Cardiff

I’m afraid this is the sort of news I have to report all too often.

The University of Cardiff, one of the leading universities in Wales, is in financial trouble. They are proposing re-structuring, which will involve merging mathematics with computer science and “data science” and making half of the mathematics staff redundant. I have no idea who is staying and who is being sent away under their plans; it may be (though I have no evidence for this) that only mathematicians whose work is thought to be relevant to computer science and “data science” will be allowed to remain.

Jens Marklof, President of the London Mathematical Society, has drawn up an open letter to management at the University about why this is not a good idea. You can view the open letter at https://tinyurl.com/2vjxurb9, and sign it at https://forms.gle/bqwZXMkajEVbucWe7 .

You are welcome to stop reading here and go to the open letter or the signing page. What follows is not really relevant, but appears to me to be related.

All this comes at a time when both the British university system and many other aspects of life in Wales are in serious trouble. The Principality is well known for music, especially vocal music, but funding to opera companies there is being seriously cut back to the point where some may have to close.

At the same time, rumour has it that a trade deal between the UK and the USA would entail American tech billionaires paying even less tax on their businesses here than they currently do.