In this series of posts, we’ll be featuring mathematical podcasts from all over the internet, by speaking to the creators of the podcast and asking them about what they do.
We spoke to Hope Duncan, who’s the creator of the Unapologetic Mathematicians podcast, and is based at the University of Leeds.
Podcast title: Unapologetic Mathematicians
Website: rss.com/podcasts/unapologetic-mathematicians/
Links: Spotify – Apple Podcasts – Amazon Music
Average episode length: 45 Minutes
Recommended episode: Richard Elwes interview
What is your podcast about, and why did it start?
The podcast started as a result of witnessing many of my friends and colleagues having to pre-emptively apologise for talking about maths in social situations, when they were asked what they did for work. Often mathematicians can explain their research to a more general audience, it just takes some patience, so I wanted to give people the chance to talk about their research and why they love it!
Who is the intended audience for the podcast?
The intended audience of the podcast is people who already know they like maths, but don’t know any mathematicians well – so likely any A-Level and Undergraduate students of Mathematics. I hope the podcast will also be interesting for mathematicians within academia too, to hear from colleagues in different areas of research.
What is a typical episode like?
Each episode is an interview with a mathematician, where I’ll ask them to explain the area they do research in, and what their journey in mathematics has been like. Most mathematicians do more than just research, so I’ve also found out about people’s experiences in teaching, writing mathematics books, and doing research about mathematics education.
I always finish each episode by asking each interviewee what they like to do outside mathematics – through this I’ve collected an amazing list of recommendations for music, films, books and video games, as well as hearing about a host of interesting hobbies, from bouldering to playing the bagpipes. Episodes are around 45 minutes, and are released weekly on Wednesdays.
Why should people listen to your podcast?
People should listen to find out more about what it’s like to be a mathematician! Unapologetic Mathematicians is different from other podcasts because it focuses more on the everyday life of a mathematician, rather than communicating a specific piece of mathematics. Before starting my PhD, I struggled to picture what doing research would be like, so I hope this podcast will help others to understand what its like!