Portraits of professional mathematicians

The 15-month ZF Global Trainee Programme is a great opportunity to get to know ZF, one of the biggest technology companies in the automotive sector. As a trainee, I complete four projects in four different locations on topics such as artificial intelligence, e-mobility, safety, digitalisation, connectivity and autonomous driving.

No two maths problems are the same and each one has its own pitfalls. To solve them, you have to work through them in a structured way – and you also need a lot of perseverance! Being able to think in a mathematical, logical way is a very transferable skill, which I use on a daily basis in my job. I really like the fact that the trainee programme pushes me out of my comfort zone every single day and thus, expands my horizon.

I validate and control pricing algorithms, focusing primarily on complex equity and foreign exchange structured products. I am also responsible for the assessment of model risk, model limitations and the analysis of model assumptions.

Maths is the foundation of all scientific disciplines. The fact that abstract and theoretical findings can have such an enormous impact on biology, chemistry and even the financial sec- tor is just extraordinary. If you ever find your motivation dwindling during the course of your studies, it can be helpful to look into the areas in which maths can be used. I’ve often been surprised by the range of applications, and that really helped boost my motivation levels!

As a data scientist I solve challenging machine learning problems in order to help our clients improve operations, meet specific business goals or shape new business ideas. At Zühlke I am lucky to get to work in different industries and use my analytical, statistical, programming and communication skills, so it is a very multisided and exciting job!

I’m interested in lots of different things, so I was afraid that studying maths would restrict me too much. In reality, I’ve found the complete opposite to be the case – I can apply the theory I learned during my studies to all manner of problems in my day-to-day work. That moment when all the pieces of the puzzle come together is just priceless.

As a data scientist at Google, I research and develop methods for measuring and analysing the quality of our products and understanding who our users are. I work closely with software engineers and project managers and help them make decisions based on experimentation and statistical evidence.

My father, a physicist, passed on his enthusiasm for maths and science to us very early on when we were children. I got to take part in competitions and that was how I became part of the mathematical community. Being part of such an inspirational network is invaluable, as it exposes you to a variety of new perspectives, provides support for seemingly unsolvable problems, and, of course, gives you that extra bit of motivation.

As a data analyst at Picnic, I am constantly challenged to find smart and pragmatic solutions to the complex problems that arise in this fast- growing company. Ranging from business analytics and automation solutions to forecasting promotional demand, there is never a dull day at Picnic!

As a student, I didn't have a clear goal that I was working towards. I let myself be inspired by the infectious enthusiasm of the countless intelligent, open-minded people around me. It was also these people who first drew my at- tention to my current employer when I wasn't sure of the next steps to take in my career. I'm extremely grateful to have been part of such an inspirational environment.

My current job focuses on three main aspects: teaching (including supervision of Bachelor’s and Master’s students), research and academic services, including the co-organisation of research seminars, didactic development and outreach activities. In terms of my research activities, I am particularly interested in problems arising from biological or medical questions and I enjoy interacting with colleagues from the life sciences.

For me, the choice between medicine and maths was not an easy one.Today, I'm extremely glad that I opted for maths in the end. It's the language of the natural sciences, and because of that, it's also prevalent within the field of medicine. I now get to combine my two interests through my research at ETH, as well as my work as a supervisor for the mathematics introductory course as part of the Human Medicine degree programme.

As a Master's trainee at Mobiliar, I supported both the actuarial team and the data science team with my analytical skills. I quantified the inflation risk for motor liability reserves and participated in an international project on the impact of using machine learning in claims reserves. I also trained an image recognition model for the automation of car claims handling. Now I am back at ETH for my doctoral degree.

The first two years of study were tough. I was always afraid that I understood far less than everyone else. But I have learned that this is totally normal and will get better! Looking back, I can see now that that time was all about learning how to think in a way that enabled you to conceive abstract concepts and ap- proach problems in a logical manner. A skill that can be applied anywhere.

I work with mathematics on risk management questions arising from the day-to-day business of financial and insurance companies – in particular using probability and statistics. The beauty of my job is that I get to collaborate with researchers all over the world on challenging mathematical problems that have a practical relevance.

Even though my parents were no academics, I knew from early on that I wanted to study maths. It seemed to be the only way to quench my thirst for knowledge. I never thought, though, that I'd end up with a doctorate! It was only while I was doing my Master's that it really hit me just how much I enjoyed the academic side of things.

As a professor, I conduct research in pure mathematics and also pass on my knowledge by teaching students. In my research, I use abstract mathematical tools from topology (the study of shapes) to try to understand quantum field theories in mathematical physics.

The more I learned, the clearer it became to me how little I understood. After completing my doctorate, I still didn't feel I had quite reached the finish line, which is what motivated me to pursue my research further. It's amazing and wonderful to see how interconnected seemingly unrelated fields actually are the more you come into contact with them.

The company I work at focuses on pedestrian flow: we measure how people move in public areas, analyse it and give advice on how to optimise it. My typical day consists of programming (creating analyses of data captured by sensors), coordinating projects with clients, writing reports and completing organisational tasks for the firm.

My teacher was of the opinion that maths isn't for women. My gut instinct, however, told me otherwise. When I started my studies at ETH, it was like stepping into a brand new world, full of inspiration and limitless possibilities. The best thing about mathematics is the fact that you know straight away whether an idea works or not – you might not always understand everything right away, but it's worth sticking at it.