Where a Math Degree Can Actually Take You - Prof Madhavan Mukund | Episode 10

Mathematics is one of the most beloved and spoken about subjects in India - but no one pursues it. In this episode of the Prof. Mahesh Podcast, we sit down with the director of one of India’s premier institutes for mathematics - Prof. Madhavan Mukund from the Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) to get to the root of this issue. The problem is quite simple, but the solution? Not so much. Moving beyond the idea that maths students can only take up tuition must be replaced with the understanding that mathematics is still responsible for keeping the world running and the problem solving required for rigorous mathematics is highly sought after across industries. We discuss this and a number of pressing issues like: What changes need to be made to the teaching of mathematics at the school level and research approaches in universities and research centers. Everywhere a mathematician can be hired - finance, logistics, and many more Theoretical computer science - its roots and the exciting work theorists are working on The long road ahead for artificial intelligence - there’s still a lot left for us to understand and develop All the domains one can specialize in - geometry, algebra, topology, discrete mathematics and more We also talk a bit about computational thinking and the IITM BS degree course that Prof. Madhavan is a crucial part of. For someone passionate about mathematics and wondering if there is something beyond teaching this is the podcast for you. Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes so that you can make informed career decisions. Leave your questions in the comments and suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in later episodes. This podcast is brought to you by the Office of Global Engagement, IIT Madras - https://ge.iitm.ac.in/ All the references made in the podcast can be found here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a... Chapters: [0:00:00] Introduction [0:02:01] Computer Science in the 1990s [0:06:48] Prof Madhavan’s professional career [0:09:20] Chennai Mathematical Institute [0:12:12] Math Education in India [0:20:42] Higher Math Education in India [0:24:40] Careers in Pure Mathematics [0:31:05] Research in Mathematics [0:36:30] Mathematical Branches [0:40:12] Theoretical Computer Science [0:45:37] Discrete Mathematics [0:48:52] Math and Computing [0:52:28] New Fields for Mathematicians / Data [0:57:38] Artificial Intelligence [1:04:21] Changes to the Education System [1:12:22] The IITM BS Program [1:15:25] Final Advice to Students and Parents Courses: Theoretical Computer Science – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/106106221 Software Systems – https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc... Compilers – https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc... Mathematics – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111104085 Statistics – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111104079 Quantitative Finance Models – https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc... Computational Thinking – https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc... Algebra – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111106092 Geometry – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111107145 Topology – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111101153 Discrete Mathematics – https://archive.nptel.ac.in/courses/1... Graph Theories – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111106100 Combinatorics / Counting – https://nptel.ac.in/courses/111106111