Meet our new academic staff from the Department of Mathematics

To begin the new year, we spoke to Dr Yu Luo and Dr François Huveneers from the Department of Mathematics about their most recent work, their love for the field and what makes them tick outside of mathematics.

Dr Yu Luo is a Lecturer in Statistics. His research focuses on causal inference, hidden Markov models and related computation.

What first attracted you to the field of Mathematics?

When I was a kid, I was always curious about mathematical concepts, and often spent hours solving different problems. I found it was (and still is) a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience!

Tell us about something you are working on at the moment – what is exciting about it?

Currently, a lot of my work is focussed on the field of causal inference. This is a research field which tries to understand and determine the casual relationship between variables or events. It aims to answer the question “What is the effect of one factor on another”. Specifically, I am working on developing novel statistical methods for causal inference in a Bayesian setting. The exciting thing about this research is that it plays a crucial role in helping researchers and decision-makers make informed choices in various fields.

For example, causality is a significant issue when examining the relationship between COVID-19 cases and public transportation. Higher COVID-19 case rates in areas with extensive public transportation networks might be attributed to increased interaction among individuals, but it could also be influenced by other factors like the strength of lockdowns in the local area or the percentage of vaccination rates. Determining causality in this complex scenario requires careful consideration of different factors and the implementation of rigorous statistical research to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship between COVID-19 cases and public transportation.

In addition, I also work on developing statistical modelling approaches to chart the health of individuals as they age. Demand for medical services is at all-time high in our aging society, and sources like healthcare applications are increasing the amount of data healthcare practitioners have at their disposal. This large volume of data, if it is to be used to improve care for patients, needs to be interpreted and understood properly. For example, for patients with chronic illnesses, healthcare system managers want to know how well they are being managed in the system so that they can make timely adjustments to their treatment if needed. One of the exciting things for me, as statistician, is that there are many statistical challenges in modelling for this kind of data data, from irregular collection to scenarios with multiple outcomes. Overcoming these challenges and building a realistic solution into models is the focus of my current research program.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about Mathematics?

I think one of the misconceptions people have about mathematics is that mathematics has no real-world application. Most people think that it's only about abstract letters, numbers, calculations, and rote memorisation of formulas. While these aspects are certainly a part of mathematics, they represent just a fraction of what mathematics truly encompasses. With my research, I can address real-world problems, such as what is the impact of speed cameras on traffic accidents and how well patients with chronic illnesses are managed under the current healthcare system.

What advice would you give to someone considering studying Mathematics?

Stay curious! Always ask questions as there are numerous unsolved problems waiting to be tackled.

Aside from Mathematics, what do you do in your spare time?

When I'm free, I like playing tennis, swimming, and hiking. I also enjoy watching shows in the West End.

Dr François Huveneers is a Reader in Disorded Systems. He is part of the Disordered Systems group at King's.

What first attracted you to the field of Mathematics?

When I was an adolescent, I often found myself poring over the math articles in the large encyclopedia at my parents' home. As far as I can recall, I didn't understand much, or perhaps anything at all, but I was captivated by the incredible level of imagination within those pages. Later on, I came to the conclusion that pure mathematics wasn't for me, so I pursued physics in college. However, I frequently found myself more drawn to the mathematical aspects of the problems at hand, leading me to specialize in mathematical physics.

Tell us about something you are working on at the moment – what is exciting about it?

Since completing my PhD, I have primarily focused on studying phenomena related to heat transfer. One particularly fascinating discovery, made approximately a decade ago, involves quantum materials where heat transfer is effectively suppressed, rendering them perfect insulators. This field is immensely exciting from both a physical and mathematical standpoint. At the time of writing, it still lacks a solid mathematical foundation. However, I am actively working on this issue with my team, and we expect progress in the near future.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about Mathematics?

I think that those not in the field may have a very hard time understanding what mathematicians do concretely. Speaking from my own experience, most of the things I work on today, I wouldn't have imagined myself doing because I had no prior knowledge of their existence. For this reason, I believe that many people simply lack a clear understanding of what we do.

What advice would you give to someone considering studying Mathematics?

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand something, and don’t conclude too quickly that this is not for you. Actually, it is when you struggle to understand something that you will really progress. Later, it will often be the case that you didn't understand something because the case was far less clear than what it first sounded. This is is the route to discovering new things!

Aside from Mathematics, what do you do in your spare time?

My family takes certainly a large part of my time. Besides that, I spend a bit of time reading and walking around.