Meet the Lecturers: Yoni Nazarathy, Benoit Liquet & Sarat Moka

We talk to Associate Professor Yoni Nazarathy, Professor Benoit Liquet and Dr Sarat Moka about using mathematics to help solve real-life problems in the face of uncertainty, the best piece of advice they ever received and the superpowers they would love to have.

1. How do you explain your work and its real-world impact to people outside of the mathematical sciences?

Yoni: I work on mathematical models that involve uncertainty and decisions. Many real life situations require one to make a decision without having full information. Surprisingly, mathematical models can help.

2. What drives your interest in your field?

Benoit: The beauty of the mathematics.
Sarat: The math and its application to real-world problems.

3. What are the next interesting “big questions” or challenges you hope to tackle?

Benoit: Is it possible the change the world?

4. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Yoni: Being able to think visually in 6 dimensions.

5. Best piece of advice you’ve received?

Benoit: Be kind to at least one person per day.
Sarat: Every word has a meaning, so choose them wisely.

6. If not mathematics research, what would have been?

Sarat: A hiker and a rock climber.

7. Deepening field knowledge and providing a networking platform, why are opportunities such as AMSI Summer School so valuable? What do you hope attendees take from your lectures?

Yoni: I hope that the pure mathematics types learn about the strength of mathematics in an applied sense and that the applied types, strengthen their core skills.

8. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

Yoni: Hiking in the Himalayas with Benoit, Sarat, and my kids.
Benoit: Just here, enjoy where you are.
Sarat: In Himalayas for hiking.

Associate Professor Yoni Nazarathy, Professor Benoit Liquet and Dr Sarat Moka will be presenting the topic The Mathematical Engineering of Deep Learning at the 2021 Summer School at The University of Adelaide in January.