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Nira Chamberlain

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British mathematician (born 1969)

Professor Nira Chamberlain
OBE CMath
Professor Chamberlain in 2015
Born17 June 1969
Birmingham, England
Alma materLoughborough University
OccupationMathematician
EmployerAtkinsRéalis
Websitewww.nirachamberlainobe.com

Nira Cyril Chamberlain OBE CMath (born 17 June 1969) is a British mathematician based in Birmingham, UK. He is a Principal Consultant at AtkinsRéalis.

Early life and education

Born in Birmingham, Chamberlain always enjoyed mathematics at school and, despite a lack of encouragement from his teachers, studied a BSc in Mathematics at Coventry Polytechnic, graduating in 1991. He then moved to Loughborough University, where he achieved an MSc in Industrial Mathematical Modelling in 1993. In 2014, he completed a PhD at Portsmouth University, under the supervision of Professor Andrew Osbaldestin entitled "Extension of the gambler's ruin problem played over networks".

Research and career

Chamberlain has worked all over the world, helping a range of industrial partners with mathematical modelling. He created a mathematical cost capability trade-off for HMS Queen Elizabeth, modelling the lifetime running costs of aircraft carriers versus operating budgets. This use of mathematics in the real world was cited in the Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society.

In 2012, Chamberlain was involved with the UK STEM Project "Being a Professional Mathematician", where his interview was selected for an iTunes podcast. In 2014 he was named by the Science Council as one of the UK's top scientists. Only five mathematicians were selected for this accolade.

He is currently a member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), European Mathematical Society, Operational Research Society and London Mathematical Society. He was appointed President of the IMA for the 2020–2022 term.

Chamberlain became the first Black mathematician to join the exclusive list of living British mathematicians to feature in the biographical reference book Who’s Who. Established in 1849, the book contains information on more than 33,000 influential people from around the world.  

Chamberlain regularly gives public lectures, discussing the significance of mathematics in human achievements and debating its relevance in everyday life. In 2016 he ran a one-day workshop at the London International Youth Science Forum, Imperial College London. He was a keynote speaker at the 2017 New Scientist workshop "The Mathematical World". In 2018 he was awarded the title of "World's Most Interesting Mathematician" from the Big Internet Math Off run by the Aperiodical website. In 2019, he gave a Maxwell Lecture at Maxwell Society titled "The Mathematics that can stop an AI apocalypse". He makes regular appearances in UK media and is a BBC expert voice, as well as a speaker for the UK charity, Speakers for Schools. In 2021 he was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific.

Chamberlain was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to mathematical sciences.

Diversity

Chamberlain is of Jamaican parentage, and campaigns for more diversity within the mathematical sciences. He frequently gives talks in UK state schools, through the charity Speakers for Schools. His lecture "The Black Heroes of Mathematics" is popular all over the UK and repeated regularly during Black History Month. In 2016 he was asked by the Black Cultural Archives to submit his own mathematical biography, parts of which were published in Mathematics Today. In 2017 he was included on Powerlist, an annual publication celebrating the 100 most influential British people from African and African Caribbean heritage, and was most recently included in the 2019, 2020, and 2021 editions.

Faith

Chamberlain is a Born-Again Christian. At the front of his doctoral thesis, he quoted Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". Chamberlain also discussed his Christian faith in the book Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit.

References

  1. "Dr Nira Chamberlain – Speakers for Schools". Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  2. "CHAMBERLAIN, Nira Cyril (born 1969), Chief Mathematician, LSC Group, since 2014". Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u281705. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  3. "Chamberlain, Nira | Mathematical Sciences | Loughborough University". www.lboro.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  4. ^ Chamberlain, Nira (2011). Extension of the gambler's ruin problem played over networks (PhD thesis). University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  5. "'The Professionals' – Mathematics…the poetry of logical ideas!". The Aspiring Professionals Hub. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  6. Chamberlain, Nira; Elliot Pinker (2016). "The Cost Capability Trade Off Model: Forecasting the Optimum Performance within Budgetary Constraints" (PDF). Babcock International. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  7. Encyclopedia of mathematics and society. Greenwald, Sarah J., Thomley, Jill E. Ipswich, Mass.: Salem Press. 2012. ISBN 978-1587658440. OCLC 746618591.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. "Being a Professional Mathematician". www.beingamathematician.org. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  9. "Being a Professional Mathematician by Tony Mann and Chris Good on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  10. "2014 list of leading UK practising scientists". The Science Council. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  11. "Mathematicians in list of UK top 100 scientists". IMA. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  12. "IMA Presidents". IMA. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  13. "Dr Nira Chamberlain - Mathematics, University of York". www.york.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  14. "Nira Chamberlain | London Mathematical Society". www.lms.ac.uk. 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  15. "BPML Dr Nira Chamberlain". www.birmingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  16. "Dr. Nira Chamberlain CMATH FIMA CSci | Proud to be a Mathematician – The Radio Debate". nirachamberlain.com. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  17. "Dr. Nira Chamberlain CMATH FIMA CSci | London International Youth Science Forum". nirachamberlain.com. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  18. "The World of Mathematical Reality". New Scientist Live 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  19. "The Big Internet Math-Off – The end". The Aperiodical. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  20. "2018-2019".
  21. "Dr Nira Chamberlain – Speakers for Schools". Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  22. "Dr Nira Chamberlain". BBC Academy. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  23. "BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Nira Chamberlain on how mathematics can solve real-world problems". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  24. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N11.
  25. "Beyond Banneker: Black Mathematicians and the Paths to Excellence | Mathematical Association of America". www.maa.org. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  26. "Dr Nira Chamberlain – Speakers for Schools". www.speakers4schools.org. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  27. "Nira Chamberlain, Mathematical Modelling and Data Science - Maths Careers". Maths Careers. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  28. Sarah (30 September 2016). "You don't need anybody's permission to be a great mathematician". blog.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  29. Jamshidi, Sean; Nikoleta Kalaydzhieva; Rafael Prieto Curiel (2 October 2017). "October is Black Mathematician Month". Chalkdust. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  30. "Raising the Profile of Black Mathematicians". IMA. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  31. Hicks, Amber (23 October 2018). "List of 100 most influential black people includes Meghan Markle for first time". mirror. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  32. Lavender, Jane (17 November 2020). "Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential Black Powerlist 2021". mirror. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  33. "Dr Nira Chamberlain | Powerlist". www.powerlist.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
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