Oscar Mullins
The University of Adelaide
I studied a double degree at Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Speech and Hearing Sciences and a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences majoring in Pure Mathematics. I’ve then gone on to more study, an Honours in Pure Mathematics at the University of Adelaide looking at Differential Geometry.
When I started these degrees I wanted to be a Speech Therapist or Linguistics researcher and I just kept math around because I enjoyed it. Although I still loved the speech science, the mathematics really captured me and I decided that’s what I wanted to pursue. After graduating my Bachelors I’ve started working full time as a signal processing researcher with Defence, and have also gone back to uni again for my Honours.
I’d be really keen for a role in the future where I can apply math and data techniques to linguistics/speech science problems.
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
The area of study I’m focused on at the moment is differential geometry, which is the study of smooth manifolds. Smooth manifolds are spaces that, if you zoom in far enough anywhere, might look flat, but globally they can have some larger more complicated structure. A typical example is that the surface of a sphere might look flat locally (think us looking around on the surface of the earth), but globally there is a curvature which makes it different from just flat 2D space. My honours thesis is going to be in Riemannian geometry looking at homogeneous spaces/structures, which are spaces that are in some way “everywhere the same”. One of the applications of manifolds is to physics, where we model space time as a 4-dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifold.
How did you get into the mathematical sciences? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
I enjoyed maths in school and was good at it so I decided to do a double degree as a way to continue studying it even if I didn’t want to pursue a career in maths. I read a series of books by Ash and Gross published by Princeton University Press which ran through higher level mathematics in a really conversational tone which convinced me that higher maths is something I could really enjoy in my future.
You received a grant to attend AMSI Summer School. How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields?
Attending in person was a massive advantage compared to online, largely because of the community environment of going to lectures and tutorials together. Being able to speak out your thoughts on the material with those around you helps massively, both for understanding the content but also for driving your commitment and motivation to the courses.
What was the most valuable part of the program for you?
Being able to live on campus through the travel grant turned what would just have been me online going through work individually into a shared experience. Having classmates that I was staying at the dorms with made me much more motivated to lean into the work. Even meeting and being able to talk to people studying other subjects was a massive advantage.
In the long-term, what do you think are the benefits of having attended Summer School?
Being given the opportunity to have time and space set aside just for intentional high level maths. When studying at uni you’re often focused on marks and balancing other workloads and life. Summer school, especially on campus with the travel grant lets you lock in and commit yourself much more fully to having a crack and seeing if further maths is what you want to do.
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?
The Summer school did well to balance showing us options in industry and private sector as well as academia. No matter what you were considering pursuing after the summer school the careers day and summer school experience gives you the opportunity to explore all the options.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Summer School in 2027? Should they apply and why?
If at all possible apply to attend in person. It will help you develop your professional and academic networks, meet like minded people, and get the most out of the summer school experiences.
What are your current career ambitions in the mathematical sciences sector?
I currently work full time with Defence Science and Technology Group as a signal processing researcher alongside my studies. My work involves designing algorithms and data analytics for automated situational awareness, and I want to continue working in a career where I can apply data and mathematical techniques for real world operational settings.
How did connecting with the community at AMSI Summer School support your experience?
It meant that if I ever didn’t understand something then someone down the hall could be the first person I asked for help rather than ChatGPT. The shared experience of the school also took the pressure off understanding everything the first time round, since you had a group of people who’ve all got different experiences and backgrounds there was very little judgement.