The UCL/KCL/QMUL Mathematics and Statistics Education Seminar is organised by and for people who teach university mathematics and statistics. The talks focus on good teaching practice and experience, backed up by education research where appropriate. There is also the opportunity to take part in discussions around teaching and learning in higher education.
A list of past talks can be found here.
UCL: Cecilia Busuioc (cecilia.busuioc[at]ucl.ac.uk), Alex Donov (a.donov[at]ucl.ac.uk), Matina Rassias (m.rassias[at]ucl.ac.uk)
KCL: David Sheard (david.1.sheard[at]kcl.ac.uk)
QMUL: Robert Johnson (r.johnson[at]qmul.ac.uk)
If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact Cecilia.
Autumn 2026
All talks except the first one take place at 5-6pm, check the room and campus carfully. We will then go for dinner afterwards nearby. The exception is the talk at UCL on 29th October, organised by Elvar Atlason - see details below.
If you are external to KCL, you must sign in at reception. Please complete this form to ensure security know to expect your arrival.
29th October 4-5 pm, with coffee and tea at 3:30 pm.
Location: UCL Department of Mathematics, 25 Gordon Street, Room 706. Coffee and tea will be served at 3:30 pm in Room 606.Â
Speaker: Dr Yudhi Bunjamin, UNSW Sydney
Title: Design of mathematics outreach workshops on mathematical thinking and virtues
Abstract: Since 2018, a large team in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW Sydney have been working on designing several interactive mathematics outreach workshops for primary and secondary school students. These workshops are motivated by promoting mathematical thinking rather than by introducing a particular area or application of mathematics. The design of these workshops are focus on incorporating messaging on aspects of mathematical thinking that are important to developing the virtues that help make us live more fulfilling lives. The workshops have been presented in a wide variety of settings from school visits in regional parts of Australia UNSW's annual Do The Maths event with over 300 students. More recently, some of these workshops have been presented in Europe in partnership with various institutions, including the London Maths Outreach team. This talk will give an overview of the project at large and discuss some of the principles that underly the workshop design process.
12 November 5-6pm
Location: King's Building KIN 218 (Strand Campus, Aldwych)
Speaker: Prof Travis Schedler (Imperial College London)
Title: MSc Mathematics at Imperial and discussion
Abstract: Prof Travis Schedler is Course Director for the MSc Pure Mathematics at Imperial College London. He will discuss the MSc courses offered at Imperial, their successes and challenges. The session will then open up to a plenary discussion of how we can meet the challenges that face our PGT programmes across London.
3rd December 5-6pm
Location: Franklin-Wilkins Building (FWB) 1.12 (Waterloo Campus)
Speaker: Dr Ewan Russell (University of Liverpool)
Title: Developing mathematics students' professional skills through curriculum design and authentic assessment
Abstract: The skills which mathematics graduates possess are highly sought after by employers but the didactic nature of some teaching at undergraduate level can leave graduates lacking in experiences of putting these skills into use in authentic scenarios, or evidencing these skills in the way graduate employers expect. I will discuss how an explicit embedding approach can build student confidence and develop awareness of these skills. I will cover my experiences of bringing employers into the curriculum and what this has taught students (and employers) about the differences between solving problems in higher education and tackling novel problems in business / industry. I will also include some of my own reflections on what I have seen change over the 15+ years that I have been championing professional skills development in mathematics programmes, and why I'm confident about the future for mathematics graduates.
Spring 2027
The seminar will be hosted at UCL. Dates, times, and speakers TBC.
Summer 2027
The seminar will be hosted at QMUL. Dates, times, and speakers TBC.