Hugo Fellows-Smith
University of Western Australia
Hi! My name is Hugo and I’m a 3rd year undergraduate student in Maths at the University of Western Australia. Before commencing my undergraduate studies in Mathematics, I was actually planning to major in philosophy. It was only after attending a summer school hosted by MAWA that I re-ignited my passion for mathematics and made the last-minute decision to study maths full-time! Since then, I’ve found immense pleasure in my studies, with a particular enjoyment of partial differential equations and complex analysis. Looking ahead, I want to learn more about calculus of variations, calculus on manifolds, complex systems, random processes, and stochastic differential equations.
Give me a quick overview of the type of mathematics you are studying, and/or the aims of your research and its potential applications/outcomes (how you would explain your work and studies to friends who don’t study maths?)
As an undergraduate student, I am still exploring the various areas that mathematics has to offer. I have taken a particular interest in elliptic PDEs, as well as continuous optimisation problems. Currently I have a couple projects on the go: one is to do with packing problems and the other is an optimisation problem that uses an ODE! Both projects appeal to me because they sit at the intersection of pure and applied mathematics—they’re motivated by curiosity, but the tools are the same ones that turn out to be critical in physics, engineering, and even finance. When I explain my work to friends, I usually say that I chase those statements that seem incredibly obvious but are hard to nail down with a proof.
How did you get into the mathematical sciences? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
As a child I have always been in love with mathematics. However, I became disenchanted in high school and got this false idea it wasn’t really something people can do at university or contribute to society by spending their whole lives on. I’m super lucky to have found a way back to my path; early in first year I made a hard pivot back to mathematics and never looked back. I also have some pretty awesome teachers to thank growing up; especially Dr Greg Gamble, who volunteers his time every week to train Perth’s next generation of math Olympians!
Winter School is designed to give students a deeper understanding of their area of research and expose them to others working in different fields/industries. Tell me about your Winter School experience. What was the most valuable part of the program for you?
The most valuable part for me was getting the opportunity to network with the other participants! I loved hearing about other participants’ work in networks—such as Brianna’s work in 6G network design and Robert’s work on public transit networks. Broadly, all of the participant talks were super engaging and opened my eyes to the sheer variety of what “mathematical research” can look like. Outside of the talks, just having meals and conversations with people from around the world was so energising—it made me feel part of a much larger mathematical community.
What was your main take away/s from AMSI-MATRIX Winter School? Something you learnt? A connection you made? Do you have new ideas for your work/research or see it in a new light?
I have a newfound appreciation for computational challenges in optimisation. I particularly liked the discussion of the travelling salesman problem in week 2. It’s also changed the way I think about a lot of the backburner projects I have been working on—many of which aim to show analytic results about problems that are easily solved with linear programs. The school has helped me recognise the importance of algorithmic perspective: knowing not just what can be proved, but also how fast or how effectively something can be computed in practice. That mindset is something I want to carry into my own work.
You received a grant to attend AMSI-MATRIX Winter School. How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields?
The grant was absolutely enabling for me; I am incredibly grateful to have received it. Without the travel support, it would have been extremely difficult to attend in person and to get the full experience of the Winter School. Being able to focus entirely on the program—without stressing about costs—meant I could participate fully, spend time talking to other students and lecturers after sessions, and make the most of the networking opportunities.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Winter School? How would you describe the conference to them?
Absolutely every interaction I have had with AMSI has been enriching and really opened my mind up to what you can do in maths and with maths—I’ve met so many bright and passionate people, all of whom have their own unique interests and passions. The opportunity is invaluable for networking and
Where do you want the mathematical sciences to take you? Where do you see yourself in five, ten years’ time?
Sharing maths with others is my favourite thing in life. I to be in a role where thinking hard about difficult problems and collaborating with others is an everyday experience. Last semester, I was lucky enough to get some experience facilitating bridging classes at my university, which was definitely the best part of my week!
I’ve also been loving taking on maths mentoring roles at my old high school and my residential college. I got obsessed with maths because of the thrill of having an epiphany after thinking about something for a week—when I teach someone else, I get to feel that same joy vicariously every five minutes when I can guide someone else to a realisation.
Any other feedback/comments you would like to provide on the travel grant or AMSI-MATRIX Winter School?
I absolutely loved the location! I thought Matrix House was one of the coolest places I had ever seen—I would have loved to do more activities there. The combination of an inspiring academic program with such a unique venue made the whole experience really memorable. Also, Creswick is just gorgeous. If you get the chance to go (especially for a maths retreat!) you should snap it up immediately. The forest environment is very conducive of good mathematics!!!