Joseph Kwong
University of Queensland
I am an Australian undergraduate student in mathematics studying at The University of Queensland. My undergraduate thesis is in differential geometry and is supervised by Ramiro Lafuente. Nevertheless, I love learning about all types of mathematics. Outside of mathematics, I enjoy riding bicycles, listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with family.
Can you give me a quick rundown about the type of mathematics you are studying and its potential impacts for the broader community (think how you would explain your work and studies to others who don’t study maths)
My undergraduate thesis is about finding the symmetries of a nice family of geometric spaces, called symmetric spaces.
For example, you might remember from high school that the symmetries of the Euclidean plane are translations, rotations, reflections, and combinations of these. I play the same game, except with other geometric spaces. Symmetric spaces are much easier to understand compared to a general geometric space. Therefore, symmetric spaces form an important testing ground for ideas and results in geometry. Knowing the symmetries of a geometric space is very useful. For example, they can tell us things about the curvature and topology of the geometric space.
How did you get into mathematics/statistics/data science? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
In my last year of high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study in university. My high school maths teachers encouraged me to study mathematics at university, and so I did. My tutors and friends at university have inspired me to continue, by being kind and understanding.
You received a Travel Grant to attend AMSI Summer School 2025. How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields? Do you think it was an advantage to attend the program in-person?
I wouldn’t have been able to attend AMSI Summer School in person without the Travel Grant. Being able to go in person was very important and a huge advantage: discussing challenging mathematics is much easier when done face to face, together on a whiteboard or a piece of paper.
What was the most valuable part of the program for you?
For me, the most valuable part of AMSI Summer School was meeting other students from across Australia (and from Japan). I made new friends, and met a lot of people who are better at maths than I am.
In the long-term, what do you think are the benefits of having attended Summer School?
AMSI Summer School was the first time that I lived in a different city, away from my (non-maths) friends and family. Moving around is inevitable for mathematicians, so I think that future me will have benefitted from my experience in Sydney of learning how to survive and thrive in a new environment.
Summer School included a special Careers Day program which aims to help give students an idea of the kinds of career paths available to maths graduates in industry and private sector research areas. Do you feel better equipped to explore career options in the mathematical sciences after attending AMSI Summer School?
Yes. AMSI Summer School exposed me to career paths that I am interested in, and career paths that I am not interested in. I had a lot of opportunities to talk with people working in different industries.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Summer School in 2026? Should they apply and why?
My advice for someone attending AMSI Summer School is to make sure they have a good work-life balance while attending. For example, while in Sydney, I bought a cheap bike and dedicated a significant amount of time for riding the bike. Being able to do something that I love (which is unrelated to maths) stopped me from burning out.
I can’t say whether someone I don’t know should apply, but if I could go back in time to August 2024, I would definitely apply for AMSI Summer School 2025 again.
What are your current career ambitions in the mathematical sciences sector?
In the next decade, I would like to complete an MPhil and a PhD in pure mathematics. For my career, my hope is to become a pure mathematics researcher at a university.
How did connecting with the community at AMSI Summer School support your experience?
I find mathematics most fun when I am learning with other people. During AMSI Summer School, I got a lot of time to work through maths problems with my new peers, as well as ask lots of questions to my lecturer and tutors, who were patient with me.
Any other feedback/comments you would like to provide on the AMSI Travel Grant or AMSI Summer School 2025?
I would like to thank AMSI for giving me the opportunity to attend AMSI Summer School.