The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is the UK's chartered

professional body A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

for mathematicians and one of the UK's

learned societies A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

for mathematics (another being the

London Mathematical Society The London Mathematical Society (LMS) is one of the United Kingdom's Learned society, learned societies for mathematics (the others being the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the Edinburgh ...

). The IMA aims to advance mathematics and its applications, promote and foster research and other enquiries directed the advancement, teaching and application of mathematics, to seek to establish and maintain high standards of professional conduct for members and to seek to promote, encourage and guide the development of education and training in mathematics.Listing
Charity Commission

History

In 1959, the need for a professional and learned body for mathematics and its applications was recognised independently by both Sir James Lighthill and a committee of the heads of the mathematics departments of several colleges of technology together with some interested mathematicians from universities, industry and government research establishments. After much discussion, the name and constitution of the institute were confirmed in 1963, and the IMA was approved as a

company limited by guarantee A company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of company where the liability of members in the event the company is wound up is limited to a (typically very small) amount listed in the company's articles or constitution. Most have no share ca ...

on 23 April 1964. In 1990, the institute was incorporated as a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

company, and it was registered as a

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

in 1993.

Governance

The institute is governed via a Council, made up of between 25 and 31 individuals including a president, three past presidents, elected and co-opted members, and honorary officers.

IMA president

The president normally serves a two-year term. This is a list of the presidents of the IMA: * 1964–1966: Sir James Lighthill FRS * 1966–1967: Professor Sir Bryan Thwaites * 1968–1969: Dr Peter Wakely FRS * 1970–1971: Professor George Barnard * 1972–1973: Professor Charles Coulson FRS * 1974–1975: Sir Hermann Bondi FRS * 1976–1977: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh * 1978–1979: Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw * 1980–1981: Sir Samuel Edwards FRS * 1982–1983: Dr Peter Trier * 1984–1985: Sir Harry Pitt FRS * 1986–1987: Professor Bob Churchhouse FRS * 1988–1989: Professor Douglas Jones FRS * 1990–1991: Sir Roy Harding * 1992-1993: J H McDonnell * 1993–1995: Professor Lord Julian Hunt FRS * 1996–1997: Professor David Crighton FRS * 1998–1999: Professor Henry Beker * 2000–2001: Professor Stephen Reid * 2002–2003: Professor John McWhirter FREng, FRS * 2004–2005: Professor Tim Pedley FRS * 2006–2007: Professor Peter Grindrod CBE * 2008–2009: Professor David Abrahams * 2010–2011: Professor Michael Walker OBE, FRS * 2012–2013: Professor Robert MacKay FRS * 2014–2015: Professor Dame Celia Hoyles * 2016–2017: Professor Chris Linton * 2018–2019: Professor Alistair Fitt * 2020–2021: Professor Nira Chamberlain OBE * 2022–2023: Professor Paul Glendinning * 2024–Present: Professor Hannah Fry HonFREng

Honorary officers

In addition to the president, the six honorary officer roles are listed below with their incumbents:

Membership

The IMA has 5,000 members, ten percent of whom live outside the United Kingdom. Forty percent of members are employed in education (schools through to universities) and sixty percent work in commercial and governmental organisations.IMA About us
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. The institute awards five grades of membership within three groups.. Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Corporate membership

Fellow (FIMA) Fellows are peer-reviewed by external reference and selected internally through election by the membership committee. Qualifications include a minimum of seven years experience and hold a senior managerial or technical position involving the use of, or training in, mathematics. A Fellow has made outstanding contributions to the development or application of mathematics. Member (MIMA) Members have an appropriate degree, a minimum period of three years training and experience after graduation and a position of responsibility involving the application of mathematical knowledge or training in mathematics.

Leading to corporate membership

Associate Member (AMIMA) Associate Member hold a degree in mathematics, a joint degree in mathematics with another subject or a degree with a sufficient mathematical component such as would be expected in physics or engineering. Students Student Members are undertaking a course of study which will lead to a qualification that meets Associate Member requirements.

Non-professional membership

Affiliate No requirements are necessary for entry into this grade.

Professional status

In 1990 the institute was incorporated by royal charter and was subsequently granted the right to award Chartered Mathematician (CMath) status.IMA Chartered Mathematician
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. The institute may also nominate individuals for the award of Chartered Scientist (CSci) under license from the Science Council. The institute can also award individual Chartered Mathematics Teacher (CMathTeach).

Publications

''Mathematics Today''

''Mathematics Today'' is a general-interest mathematics publication aimed primarily at Institute members, published six times a year and containing articles, reviews, reports and other news on developments in mathematics and its applications.IMA Mathematics Today
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Research journals

Eight research journals are published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

on behalf of the IMA.IMA Journals
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. *'' IMA Journal of Applied Mathematics'' *''IMA Journal of Numerical Analysis'' *'' Mathematical Medicine and Biology'' *'' IMA Journal of Mathematical Control and Information'' *'' IMA Journal of Management Mathematics'' *'' Teaching Mathematics and its Applications'' *''Information and Inference: A Journal of the IMA'' *'' Transactions of Mathematics and its Applications''

Other publications

The IMA began publishing a podcast, ''Travels in a Mathematical World'', on 4 October 2008.Travels in a Mathematical World, a maths podcast by Peter Rowlett, Institute of Mathematics and its Applications
Travelsinamathematicalworld.co.uk. The IMA also publishes conference proceedings, monographs and special interest group newsletters.Publications
. Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Conferences

The institute runs 8–10 conferencesIMA Conferences calendar
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, (13 September 2013). most years. These are specialist meetings where new research is presented and discussed.IMA Conferences
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Education activities

The IMA runs a wide range of mathematical activities through the Higher Education Services Area and the Schools and Further Education Group committees.Education
. Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. The IMA operates a Programme Approval Scheme, which provides an 'approval in principle' for degree courses that meet the educational requirements for Chartered Mathematician. For programmes to be approved, the IMA requires the programme to be an honours degree of at least three years length, which meets the required mathematical content threshold of two-thirds. The programmes also need to meet the QAA benchmark for Mathematics and the Framework for High Education Qualification.IMA University degree programme accreditation
. Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. The IMA provides education grants of up to £600 to allow individuals from the UK working in schools or further/higher education to help with the attendance at or the organisation of a mathematics educational activity such as attendance at a conference, expenses to cover a speaker coming into a school, organising a session for a conference.
The IMA also employs a university liaison officer to promote mathematics and the IMA to university students undertaking mathematics and help act as a means of support.
As part of this support the IMA runs the University Liaison Grants Scheme to provide university mathematical societies with grants of up to £400 to organise more activities and work more closely with the IMA.

Prizes

The councils of the IMA and the

jointly award the Christopher Zeeman Medal, dedicated to recognising excellence in the communication of mathematicsIMA Christopher Zeeman Medal
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. and the David Crighton Award dedicated to the recognition of service to mathematics and the wider mathematics community.IMA David Crighton Medal
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. The IMA in cooperation with the British Applied Mathematics Colloquium (BAMC) award the biennial IMA Lighthill-Thwaites Prize for early career applied mathematicians. The IMA awards the Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis, the Catherine Richards Prize for the best articles in Mathematics Today, the John Blake University Teaching Medal and the IMA Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to mathematics and its applications over the years. The IMA awards student-level prizes at most universities which offer mathematics around the UK. Each student prize is a year's membership of the IMA.

Branches

The IMA has Branches in the regions London, East Midlands, Lancashire and the North West, West Midlands, West of England, Ireland and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

,
which run local activities (like talks by well known mathematicians). Its headquarters are in

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, Essex.

Early Career Mathematicians Group

The Early Career Mathematicians Group of the IMA hold a series of conferences for mathematicians in the first 15 years of their career among other activities.

Social networking

As well as all the conferences, meetings and group activities that are held across the country the IMA operates groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, and has a Twitter feed.

Interaction with other bodies

Along with the

, the Royal Statistical Society, the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and the Operational Research Society, forms the Council for the Mathematical Sciences.Council for Mathematical Sciences, CMS
Cms.ac.uk (4 January 2013). The IMA is a member of the Joint Mathematical Council (JMC) and informs the deliberations of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME).
The IMA has representatives on University of Bath, Bath University Court, Bradford University Court, Cranfield University Court, Engineering Technology Board and

Engineering Council The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician. The Engineering Council holds the nat ...

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British UK Research Councils, Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical scienc ...

, EPSRC Public Understanding of Science Committee, Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences, International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Joint Mathematical Council, LMS Computer Science Committee, LMS International Affairs Committee, LMS Women in Maths Committee, Maths, Stats & OR Network (part of the HEA), Parliamentary and Scientific Committee,

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA), previously known as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), was a charity, and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department for Education. In Engl ...

, Science Council, Science Council Registration Authority, The Association of Management Sciences (TAMS) and University of Wales, Swansea CourtIMA Representatives on External Organisations
. Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

Notes

External links

The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications

The origins of the Institute

Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Institute of Mathematics And Its Applications 1964 establishments in the United Kingdom Education in Southend-on-Sea Higher education organisations based in the United Kingdom Learned societies of the United Kingdom Mathematics education in the United Kingdom Mathematical societies Organisations based in Essex Organizations established in 1964 Mathematics and its Applications, Institute of