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

Professor Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb invited to speak at ICM 2026

Congratulations to Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb, Professor of Applied Mathematics in DAMTP, who has been invited to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in 2026.

The ICM is held every four years and represents the largest global gathering of mathematicians across all subjects, reflecting the vast diversity of today’s mathematics. The ICM sees the award of some of the most important prizes in mathematics, including the Fields Medal. Invited speakers are selected to reflect outstanding achievements in their fields.

Professor Gary Gibbons FRS awarded Dirac Medal

Gary Gibbons, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, has been awarded the 2025 Dirac Medal for his part in 'turning black holes into windows onto the deepest laws of nature'.

The Dirac Medal is awarded every year by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, and is named after Paul Dirac, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge from 1932 to 1969. Gary Gibbons shares the Medal with Gary Horowitz (University of California Santa Barbara), Roy Kerr (University of Canterbury in New Zealand), and Robert Wald (University of Chicago.)

Professor David Abrahams wins IMA Gold Medal

David Abrahams, Professor of Applied Mathematics at DAMTP, has been awarded a prestigious Gold Medal from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA).

The IMA Gold Medal is awarded every two years in recognition of outstanding contributions to mathematics and its applications over a period of years. Abrahams received the award for providing 'three decades of enthusiastic, inclusive and energetic leadership to the UK applied mathematics community.'

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 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.

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.