DAMTP | Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

The Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics is one of the largest and strongest of its kind in Europe. The Department currently hosts approximately 140 Academic and Research Staff and around 160 PhD students at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, a purpose-built complex in Wilberforce Road, Cambridge.

Research in DAMTP is loosely organised into eight broad subject areas: Applied and Computational Analysis, Astrophysics, Geophysics, Fluid and Solid Mechanics, Mathematical Biology, Quantum Information, High Energy Physics and General Relativity and Cosmology. Many members of staff contribute to more than one area and this is regarded as a key factor in the continuing success of DAMTP. Research in each of the subject areas involves collaboration with strong groups nationally and internationally, and participation in numerous interdisciplinary projects and programmes.

News & Events

Hannah Fry announced as new Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics

We are delighted that Hannah Fry will join the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics on 1 January 2025 as Cambridge's first Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics.

Hannah Fry brings outstanding experience of communicating to diverse audiences to the role. An award-winning science presenter and best-selling author, she is currently Professor in the Mathematics of Cities at UCL. She won the Christopher Zeeman Medal for promoting mathematics in 2018 and the Royal Society David Attenborough Award in 2024, and is the current President of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Professor Adrian Kent elected as APS Fellow

Congratulations to Professor Adrian Kent who has been elected to the American Physical Society's Fellows. The APS Fellowship recognises his seminal contributions at the interface between quantum information science and relativity, including novel protocols for communication and cryptography.

Professor Helen Mason OBE wins Ogden Trust outreach award

Congratulations to Helen Mason OBE, Emeritus Professor in Solar Physics, who has received an Ogden Trust award for Sustained Contribution to Physics Outreach. The award recognises her longstanding commitment to and outstanding achievements in physics outreach.

Professor Eric Lauga FRS and Professor Mihaela van der Schaar FRS elected Fellows of the Royal Society

Congratulations to Eric Lauga, Professor of Applied Mathematics, and Mihaela van der Schaar, John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Medicine, who have been elected as new Fellows of the Royal Society.

Together with John Aston and Oscar Randal-Williams from the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, they have been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in recognition of their outstanding research and work.

Professor Anne-Christine Davis awarded OBE in the King's Birthday Honours list

Congratulations to Professor Anne-Christine Davis who has received an OBE in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours list. The honour has been awarded for services to Higher Education and to Scientific Research.

Mapping DNA diversity with quantum computing

A research collaboration led by DAMTP's Dr Sergii Strelchuk is one of 12 projects worldwide to be selected for the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) Supported Challenge Program.

The project has been awarded up to $3.5 million in funding to explore the potential of quantum computing to help improve human health.

Contagious Maths: bringing mathematical research into the classroom

New 'Contagious Maths' school and public engagement resources, developed by Professor Julia Gog and the Faculty's MMP outreach programme, aim to share the excitement of mathematical research and link it to the school curriculum to highlight the role of mathematics in tackling real-world problems. The project was supported by a Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award.