INI

The Isaac Newton Institute: Creating eureka moments

One of the most exciting places in the mathematical world is the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI), an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus.
The INI attracts leading mathematical scientists from all over the world, and is open to all. We are proud to be collaborating with the INI to bring the cutting edge mathematics that is being done there to the general public. The following content is part of this collaboration.

Hannah Fry
Living proof: Communicating mathematics with the INI and Hannah Fry

Find our what the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is doing to promote the communication of mathematics and hear from mathematical communications superstar Hannah Fry!

Noether
Emmy Noether: A creative mathematical genius

One of the most important mathematicians of her time, Noether also proved a fundamental result in physics.

Keeping schools open in the next pandemic

To avoid full school closures in the next pandemic, or even epidemic, epidemiologists need crucial information from schools, students, and parents.

Laptop secured by a padlock - image purchased from Fotalia
Keeping the world's networks quantum safe

Our digital, networked lives are only possible thanks to cryptography, but quantum computing could make our current techniques useless. How can we prepare for this quantum future and ensure we can continue to live our digital lives?

Wheat in Pennsylvania in 1943 – Image in public domain
Post-quantum cryptography

Ingenious uses of maths have provided the key to internet security, but how can we secure our digital lives in the face of quantum computing?

A Haystack in Nainital (Image by Perplexus – CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Lattice-based cryptography

Find out about lattice-based cryptography – the best candidate for keeping our networks safe in the face of attacks by quantum computers – in this brief introduction.

A lattice generated by basis vectors that aren't at right-angles to each other
Maths in a minute: Lattices

A lattice may seem like a simple regular grid of points, but it leads to fascinating new research in maths and cryptography!

Inside the IBM Quantum System One installed in 2023 at the Cleveland Clinic for use in medical research (Image: IBM)
Maths in a minute: Quantum computing

Quantum computing often grabs the headlines. The word "quantum" itself is intriguing enough, but what exactly is quantum computing?

laptop with padlock
Maths in a minute: Cryptography

Ingenious maths keeps your credit card details safe when you shop online and underlies the security of the internet.  Find out how in this easy introduction.

Close up of milk mixing into coffee (Image: Adobe Stock)
Mixing it up: Understanding the boundaries of anti-diffusion

The process of diffusion has been studied for centuries.  But reserachers have recently begun to study a competing process –  anti-diffusion. Find out more in this collection of content from a recent research programme at the INI.

Close up of milk mixing into coffee (Image: Adobe Stock)
Mixing it up

Researchers from different fields recently came together to improve our understanding of anti-diffusion, the process behind the distinct bands of Jupiter, that also plays a role in our oceans and in developing plasma fusion reactors.

cup of tea
Maths in a minute: Diffusion

Whenever you smell the lovely smell of fresh coffee or drop a tea bag into hot water you're benefiting from diffusion. Find a quick introduction to the concept here.