Nicola Fitz-Simon

Bio: Bio: I am a lecturer in Statistical Science at the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Galway. My PhD is from Trinity College Dublin and I had posts at UCD, the University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Imperial College London before coming to Galway.

Title: Using Statistical Models for Small Area Estimation

Abstract: As an applied statistician, I have worked on many studies that combine data and statistical models to aid decision making, especially in the area of human health. I am currently working on a project for the World Health Organization to estimate risk factors related to diabetes at small area level – for example high blood pressure, smoking, diet, physical activity, overweight and alcohol. The WHO collects data that are designed to provide national estimates of the prevalences of these risk factors. However they also want to use the data to help them see the spatial patterns of risk across the country to help them target interventions. The data for each small area on its own are too small to make reliable estimates, but using hierarchical Bayesian statistical models we can borrow statistical strength across areas to make more accurate and precise estimates. A substantial part of this project is on communicating the results to stakeholders, where data visualisation has an important role.

Romina Gaburro

Bio: I am a mathematician working in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Limerick (UL) and MACSI. I obtained an MSc (Italian Laura) in Mathematics from the Università degli Studi di Trieste, Italy and a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, U.K. Following my PhD, I was a Research Fellow at the Università degli Studi di Trieste, followed by a Science Foundation Ireland Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship at UL. I am currently an associate professor (senior lecturer) in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UL, where I serve as the Director for Postgraduate studies, Course Director for the MSc in Mathematical Modelling, and served until recently as the Research Representative in the Science and Engineering Faculty Research Committee.
My research area is in inverse problems for partial differential equations and their applications to imaging and material properties identification. Recent international events on inverse problems I have co-organised include the semester programme 'Rich and nonlinear tomography: a multi-disciplinary approach' at the Isaac Newton Institute (INI) for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, the INI workshop "Synergistic workshop on Rich and Nonlinear tomography aimed at drawing together all strands of both methods and applications with new insights' and the International Summer Schools on Inverse Problems in Geophysics, Lake Como School of Advanced Studies in 2021 and 2023.
At UL, I am a member of the Health Research Institute and was a funded investigator of CONFIRM, the SFI centre for smart manufacturing. I serve on the committee of the Irish Mathematical Society, where I am also Chair of the 'Irish Committee for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Mathematics (ICEDIM)''. Nationally I also serve as Vice-Chair of the Royal Irish Academy 'Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences Committee'. I am involved in the promotion of gender balance in STEM also internationally. I am currently one of the two country coordinators for Ireland in the European Women in Mathematics organisation and the Irish ambassador for the International Mathematical Committee for Women in Mathematics. I have been invited on several occasions to the ‘Women in Analysis’ workshops at the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) over the past years.

Title: An introduction to inverse problems

Abstract: In this talk we give an introduction to the concept of inverse and ill-posed problems and discuss some of their mathematical challenges, particularly the issues of uniqueness and stability, which are key for the reliability of any reconstruction procedure and, ultimately, for the formation of an image.

Róisín Neururer

Bio: I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Mathematics and Statistics at University College Dublin. My research interests are in mathematics education, in particular post-primary education, with a focus on problem-solving, curriculum materials, curriculum reform and teacher professional development. I completed my PhD at University College Dublin in 2024. Prior to my PhD studies I qualified as a post-primary mathematics teacher and taught for 3 years in the UK and completed my MA in Education at the University of Nottingham.
I am the current chair of the European Mathematics Society Young Academy (EMYA), which aims to support early-career mathematicians across Europe.

Title: The problem of problem-solving in post-primary classrooms: What are the challenges and how might we address them?

Abstract: Successive curriculum reforms in Ireland have led to an increased emphasis on problem-solving within the post-primary mathematics curriculum. However, there is little evidence to suggest classroom practices have significantly changed. In this talk I will share teachers’ perspectives on and experiences with these reforms and highlight some of the underlying issues which may be hindering teachers from incorporating problem-solving into their classrooms in a meaningful way. Structured Problem Solving, an approach to teaching mathematics through problem-solving, will be described along with the challenge it poses to teachers. Finally, I will discuss possible supports that might enable teachers to engage more fully with problem-solving in their classrooms.

Myrto Manolaki

The Irish success at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad 2025

Abstract: The European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) is the most prestigious mathematical competition for girls, which started in 2012 (Cambridge, UK) and since then is held in April each year. In this talk, after presenting the structure and the historical context of the competition, I will focus on the recent success of the Irish team in Kosovo (one Bronze Medal and three Honourable Mentions, Ireland's second best performance ever).

Margherita Piccolo

Bio: I am a postdoctoral researcher in mathematics, based in Hagen, Germany, where I work in the research group of Steffen Kionke. My research primarily focuses on infinite group theory and number theory, particularly on the representation growth of profinite groups.
I completed my PhD in Düsseldorf under the supervision of Benjamin Klopsch and Britta Späth as a member of the research training group GRK 2240: Algebro-Geometric Methods in Algebra, Arithmetic and Topology funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Previously, I was an ALGANT master student at the Università degli Studi di Padova and Universiteit Leiden.

Victoria Sánchez Muñoz

Bio: "¡Hola!", I'm Victoria, I'm from Spain but I don't like olives. I did a BSc in Physics at Universitat de València, in Valencia, Spain; and a MSc in Theoretical Physics at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, in Madrid, Spain.
After a post-studies life crisis of "what do I do with my life?", I decided to try for a PhD, and that's how I ended up in the lovely School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at University of Galway. My PhD focused on studying certain simple games in a triangle-network setting when the players can use quantum stuff.
Currently I'm a postdoctoral researcher at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, in Brussels, Belgium (yeah, lots of delicious waffles and fries). Now I'm researching how to generate higher-quality randomness using quantum stuff.