In this series of posts, we’ll be featuring mathematical video and streaming channels from all over the internet, by speaking to the creators of the channel and asking them about what they do.

We spoke to Kala, who has an Instagram channel called MathsWithKala.

Channel title: @MathsWithKala
Link: instagram.com/mathswithkala/
Topics covered: Mathematics around us, unexpected uses of pure mathematics research, debunking stereotypes about mathematicians, life of a female British-Hungarian postdoc in pure maths 
Average video length: 1 minute
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What is your channel about, and when/why did it start?

MathsWithKala is all about showing that mathematics is everywhere, sharing unexpected uses of pure mathematics, challenging stereotypes about mathematicians, and giving people a glimpse into my life as a British-Hungarian postdoctoral researcher in pure mathematics.

The idea for the channel first came to me when I was an undergraduate at the University of St Andrews. A friend wrote an article for the student newspaper about women in mathematics and suggested that I should start sharing my experiences online to make female mathematicians more visible. I loved the idea, but it took me a while to build up the confidence. I eventually started posting consistently in December 2025.

Who are you?

I’m Kala, also known as Dr Kamilla Rekvényi, and I’m currently a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.

I grew up in Hungary and always loved mathematics, but the stereotypes surrounding mathematicians affected me growing up. I competed in lots of maths competitions in secondary school and noticed that I often didn’t fit the stereotype of what people expected a mathematician to be. I decided that if I was going to stand out, I was going to really stand out, so I embraced my love of pink and my feminine style instead of hiding it.

I moved to the UK to study mathematics at the University of St Andrews, where I realised I wanted to become an academic mathematician. After completing my PhD at Imperial College London, I joined the University of Manchester as a Research Fellow.

Today, my goal is to be the visible mathematician that I wished I’d had growing up – someone young people, especially girls, can relate to.

Who is the intended audience for the channel?

Anyone who loves mathematics, or anyone who doesn’t know yet that they could!

I’d love to inspire more young girls to see that there are people like them in mathematics. If even a handful of girls feel more confident about pursuing maths because of my videos, I’ll consider that a success.

I also want to reach people who think they “just aren’t maths people” and show them that mathematics is creative, beautiful and surprisingly accessible. One of my favourite moments so far was when a friend from Pilates (I’m also training to become a Pilates instructor) told me she’d never imagined she could enjoy or understand higher-level maths, but one of my videos had made a concept click for her. That’s exactly the kind of impact I hope to have.

What is a typical video like?

I usually post two or three short reels each week. They typically include:

• a lifestyle video about life as a mathematician;
• content about women in mathematics and challenging stereotypes; and
• an accessible explanation of a mathematical idea, a beautiful theorem, a useful mathematical tool, or a surprising real-world application of mathematics.

Most of my videos are around one minute long.

Why should people watch?

I don’t take myself too seriously. I want to show that maths is fun, fascinating and all around us, and that you don’t have to be a genius to enjoy it. I also want people to see that mathematicians are just ordinary people who happen to spend their days thinking about unusual questions.

I tend to focus on the big picture rather than technical details. Instead of diving into formal proofs, I like to explain why a mathematical result is exciting, surprising or beautiful, and often share the personal stories or unexpected facts that make it memorable to me. I hope that by showing the more human side of mathematics, I can make abstract ideas feel approachable and spark people’s curiosity.

Anything else to share?

My version of the shirt that appears in this video that says “I’m too pretty to not do maths” is available to buy on my Etsy shop!