Sophie Maclean, Autor auf Heidelberg Laureate Forum - SciLogs - Wissenschaftsblogs

Sophie Maclean

Sophie Maclean is a mathematician and maths communicator, currently studying for a PhD in Analytic Number Theory at Kings College London. She has previously worked as a Quantitative Trader and a Software Engineer, and now gives mathematics talks all over the UK (and Europe!). She is also a member of the team behind Chalkdust Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter at @sophietmacmaths

A Collatz Conundrum

Choose a positive integer. If the number is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1. If it is even, halve it. Take your result and repeat the process. The Collatz Conjecture hypothesises that, for any positive integer, this process will eventually reach 1. Read more

27. Aug 2025 | By Sophie Maclean | 2 comments

A Random Walk on the Wild Side

It is midnight in New York. A drunkard sets off from home, and goes for a walk. In their inebriation, at each crossroads they randomly choose a direction with equal probability. North with probability ¼. East with probability ¼. South with probability ¼. West with probability ¼. Will they find their way home?

This is an example of what is called a random walk. A random walk is a process by which your location is determined from a sequence of random steps. Read more

30. Jul 2025 | By Sophie Maclean | 6 comments

The Biggest Mathematical Proof Ever

In 2017, the record for the largest mathematical proof hit a new high. Using a computer, a theorem was proven in a proof that used 2 petabytes of space. That is 2 x 10^15 bytes of space. It is this problem that I would like to share with you today. Read more

18. Jun 2025 | By Sophie Maclean | 1 comment

Hugo Duminil-Copin: The Maths, the Man

Awarded the 2022 Fields Medal for his work in statistical physics, Hugo Duminil-Copin breaks many of the stereotypes of mathematicians. Read more

17. Jan 2024 | By Sophie Maclean | 2 comments

Why People Hate Maths, and Why You Should Love It

“Oh, I hated maths at school.”

It is a phrase every mathematician has heard time and time again. Indeed, just in the past month, I have found myself explaining the joy and value in learning maths at parties, in schools, and even on national news. So why is enjoying mathematics so controversial? Read more

13. Dec 2023 | By Sophie Maclean | 8 comments

Pioneering Graph Theory – László Lovász

His research into network theory took him on a journey through mathematics to computer science, optimization, and even physics. Read more

29. Nov 2023 | By Sophie Maclean | 0 comments

A Conversation with Karen Uhlenbeck

It was the second day of the 10th Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) in September 2023 and I was sat nervously in my hotel room. Karen Uhlenbeck, while not attending the Forum in person, was to …

25. Oct 2023 | By Sophie Maclean | 1 comment

Molecule of the Year 1992

In 2013, inspired by the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, the first Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) was held. Fast forward ten years, and the links between the two events are as close as ever. Every year, …

30. Sep 2023 | By Sophie Maclean | 0 comments

How to Keep Secrets in a Post-Quantum World

The list of panelists at the “Post-Quantum Cryptography” panel at the 9th HLF read like a who’s who in computer science. The first to join the panel was Vinton ‘Vint’ Cerf, often referred to as …

02. Nov 2022 | By Sophie Maclean | 11 comments

From Modern to Quantum Cryptography in 30 Minutes

Whitfield Diffie. © Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation / Flemming On the final day of Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2022, we were treated to a panel discussion on the importance of post-quantum cryptography. The panel included some …

28. Oct 2022 | By Sophie Maclean | 1 comment