Age: 32Job description: I work on con-tract, supplying software engineeringservices for RADVISION whose mainproducts are hardware for Voice andVideo Conferencing over Internet andISDN networks. Both products areJava based web applications, so I getto use a lot of the latest technologiesto their fullest.Secondary school subjects:Mathematics I and II, Physics,Chemistry, Art, EnglishTertiary study:Bachelor of Science (Honours 1st class, University Medal)Department of Mathematics, University of Queensland.PhD, Department of Applied Mathematics and TheoreticalPhysics, Cambridge University.Salary Range: $8000 - $16000 per monthMy work is very challenging, and I am required to work in abroad range of roles from analysis and design through to imple-mentation. To remain professionally competitive, it is also neces-sary to constantly be aware of new and emerging technologies.I find I often draw on the skills I have developed through a strongmathematical training. The simplest example is the constant useof Boolean logic. On a more significant vein, I find that therigor that is required to produce correct, complete and concisemathematical arguments can also be applied to creating softwarewith the same qualities. Further, the ability to think abstractly,and to generalize and create models – which is something that iswell developed in mathematical studies – allows me to quicklydesign and implement solutions. Also the abilities to quicklyunderstand and absorb new concepts – which comes with study-ing abstract mathematics — makes it much easier to keep up withthe state of the art.

Age: 33Job title: Development Manager,John Holland GroupJob description: Activelycontribute to development andgrowth strategies of John Holland.Evaluate viability and risks of majorinfrastructure projects andparticipate in the conversion ofsuitably identified projects intoprofitable contracts, protecting and

growing the equity base of the company.Secondary school subjects:English, Mathematics I & II, Chemistry, Physics, BiologyTertiary study:Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mathematics, UQ;PhD in Mathematics, University of Queensland;Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, SecuritiesInstitute of Australia;Company Directors Course, Australian Institute of CompanyDirectors.Salary Range: Executive remuneration.“If you are undecided about what courses to study or what type ofoccupation to pursue, spend some time identifying what areas youhave a natural affinity for – this way you get to enjoy your study oroccupation and it’s quite likely that you’ll be good at it as well.Studying mathematics doesn’t necessarily restrict you to being ineducation, research or purely quantitative roles – in fact it maymean you can contribute a different perspective and skill set toother sectors.In the construction industry there is always a varied set of issues toassess that can be both interesting and challenging. These aren’tall strictly numbers based – but studying mathematics and carry-ing out mathematical research provides a good foundation in anyarea for problem solving, analysis and concept generation.”

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44

INFINITY

Disciplineof

Mathematics

MATHEMATICS SPECIAL CAREERS EDITION

a smart career choice

Mathematics can open many doors in business, industry, finance, government,teaching or research.In an increasingly computerized world you cannot go wrong by including a mathematicsmajor in your university degree. Statistics and mathematical models are being usedincreasingly in business, industry, banking and research. Consequently, a bachelor’sdegree in mathematics can lead to a broad range of highly paid jobs, many of which didnot exist 5 or 6 years ago! Moreover, mathematical training gives you the agility to solvereal problems. After all, how concrete is a mobile phone, running a business or the weather!(See our profiles.) In fact if you pull out all the stops and complete a double degree inmaths and, say, commerce or communication, then the world’s your oyster. Above all amathematics degree gives you the flexibility you need in today’s global employment market.

This edition of Infinity takes a look at some our our Graduates in various stages of their careers.

ActuaryCommodities Trader

What can I do witha Math Degree?

QUANTITATIVE ANALYST

Market Research

PPPPPollsollsollsollsollstttttererererer

Foreign exchange trader

Animator

RESEARCH SCIENTIST

ClimatClimatClimatClimatClimate Anale Anale Anale Anale Analyyyyysssssttttt

forensic analyst

TEACHERTEACHERTEACHERTEACHERTEACHER

Technical Writer

POPULATION ECOLOGIST

Public utilities analystSoftware Developer

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

S t a t i s t i c i a n

EPIDEMIOLOGIST

ADELLE HOWSE contributes to the developmentof a major Australian construction company.

EVAN JONES writes Software Applications forRADVISION

Age: 44Job title: Professor in Biostatistics at the theUniversity of Texas M.D. Anderson CancerResearch Center.Job description:Conduct methodological research in statisticaldesign and analysis of medical studies, ideallyin collaboration with other biostatisticians andother types of researchers including computerscientists, biologists, oncologists.

Secondary school subjects:English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computing,French, Vietnamese literature.Tertiary study:Bachelor of Science (Honours) from UQ (major in mathematics andcomputer science, with several courses in French), 4 years.Ph.D. in Statistics from Stanford University, USA (4 years).Salary Range: $US150,000 - $US200,000.I have loved mathematics and problem solving since I was three. Myoriginal goal was to become a professor in mathematics. My currentcareer is quite different from the usual math professor career, but ithas grown exponentially from the original seed of mathematics.The education and opportunities I received from the University ofQueensland (from 1979-1983) was instrumental in launching me inthe right direction (and UQ has such a beautiful campus that isconducive for creative thinking to boot).

Kim-Anh Do has a hectic but interesting career in cancer research based on developing statistical and mathematical models.

Mathematics and logical thinking combined with hard work andperseverance form the core of all scientific advancements. However,you do have to love what you are doing, and you have to face thechallenges and pursue your goals relentlessly. A problem can be hardand boring sometimes but you cannot give up until you’ve tried it atleast three times. You have to aim at giving yourself first the highesttechnical skills before aiming at managerial and executive roles. Youcannot lead others unless you can first be able to do their jobs well. Ina competitive research environment, you need to have first thequantitative skills, then you need to be able to write well to describeyour enthusiasm and ideas and to convince other people to provide thefunding for you to conduct the research that you love. You need tospeak eloquently to present your research results and achievementsand prove their potential long-term impact. You need to take risks andtravel far if necessary to gain new knowledge (i.e. if you need to leavehome for overseas study or conferences then do it). Last but not least,you need to be able to work with different types of people (quantitativeor not) aiming at achieving a common goal.For myself, a balanced life is of utmost importance. Balancing researchand family life, health and exercise, parties/wine tasting or workingthrough the nights to meet a deadline or to write a book: they arechallenges that each individual must work out his/her own formulae.In my experience, I have never had difficulty finding a job in Australia,the US, or elsewhere; on the contrary, I usually have to face the difficultyof choosing between several attractive jobs. The learning process neverceases. I continuously have to update my skills in computing and tolearn other areas (e.g. genetics, biology, specific disease types) and Ialways feel that there are not enough hours in a day!

The word “mathematics” on a graduates record tellsan employer that the graduate has high qualityanalytical skills necessary for today’s problemsolving, complex reasoning and modeling tasks.

Financial − Statistical Consulting − Risk Consulting − Actuarial − Operations Research − Data Mining − Biomathematics − Applied − Forecasting − Modelling −Information Technology − Artifical Intelligence − Logic − Education − Research − Cartography − Mapping − Cryptography − Analysis − Medicine − Government

* For PDF files please email: hg@maths.uq.edu.au or go to http://www.maths.uq.edu.au/~infinity/Infinity_16/index_16.html *

Advancements in technology have led to theapplications of mathematics in diverse areas, suchas medical research; financial management;biotechnology and bioinformatics; weather andcommodity forecasting; technical communicationand even entertainment. Every time you read abarcode at a supermarket, or use home banking,an automatic teller machine or e-commerce you areengaging sophisticated mathematical processes.Through these developments, mathematicianshave an opportunity to make a lasting contributionto society in many diverse fields such as medicine,economics, biology, the environment, government,computer science and the social sciences.

Age: 24Job Description/History: As a weather forecaster, I have forecast for several differentlocations within New South Wales. While working in the Sydney office, I was responsible foraviation and public weather forecasting. The difference between these is substantial. Publicweather forecasting involves writing out four-day forecasts for all the major towns in NSW.Aviation forecasting is primarily focussed on weather developments over the next 24 hours,and requires more specific detail. For example in a public weather forecast, we mention“partly cloudy”, in an aviation forecast we need to mention what type of cloud, how much ofit covers the sky, and what height it is. Aviation forecasts are split up into two types: areaforecasts, which are designed to cover broad scale weather up to 18500 feet; and TerminalAerodrome Forecasts (TAFs), which are specific to an aerodrome. In NSW there are roughly50 TAF locations to write forecasts for.I have also worked in the Canberra Meteorological Office. In Canberra I prepared forecastsunsupervised, and presented these forecasts to the media in routine radio broadcasts.I am currently contracted out to Qantas to liaise with flight planning. Here I interpret theforecasts across Australia and for selected international airports and relay significant informationto the Flight Despatch Staff who make sure that the appropriate fuel is carried.

For both forecasting and liaison work, it is essential for me to understand weather patterns and phenomena, which have underlyingmathematical and physical principles. In addition to the science, it is necessary to have excellent communication skills.Secondary School Subjects: English, Art, Drama, Maths C, Maths B, Physics.Tertiary Study: Bachelor of Science (Honours), majoring in the field of Mathematics. Post Graduate Diploma in Meteorology.Salary range: $55,000 - $90,000 (depends on level within the public service, and also on shiftwork).My main focus is to do things I enjoy. During high school I loved the arts, and I loved science. I chose to pursue a career in science.I decided to study maths and physics at uni to keep my options open. This gave me many skills in mathematics, statistics and computerprogramming that I would not have obtained doing a specialised degree. Upon joining the Bureau of Meteorology, I spent 10 months inMelbourne doing a Graduate Diploma in Meteorology, where effectively I learned everything I needed to know about weather forecastinganyway.Working for the Bureau of Meteorology is great because there are so many avenues to explore. It’s not just about forecasting. Variety isthe spice of life, and why should work be any different? There’s climatology, severe weather, hydrology, oceanography, services development,research, aviation…and the list goes on. There’s also the opportunity to work as an individual doing research and developmental work,and opportunities to work as a part of a team, such as in the regional forecasting centres.

Age: 31Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Montreal Neurological InstituteJob description: When a human subject is asked to perform a specific task there will be a corre-sponding increase in activity in the region of the brain being used for this task (for example when asubject taps their fingers together there will be an increase in blood flow in the motor cortex area).This increase in blood flow can be detected through the use of magnetic resonance imaging. So inessence psychologists come in while a person is receiving an MRI scan, give the subject a task toperform, and then see what parts of the brain the subject is using to perform the task. This powerfultool provides psychologists and other clinicians with valuable insights into how the human brain works.My research lies in developing sophisticated computer simulations of the physics and physiologyinvolved during this experiment.Secondary school subjects: English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science.

Tertiary study: Combined Bachelor of Computer Engineering and Bachelor of Science (Maths andComputer Science), University of Queensland (5 years)). PhD in Mathematics, University of Queensland (4 years).Salary Range: $US40,000 ($AU70,000)

One thing that I think is not stressed enough in high school and university mathematics courses is how important a good grounding inmathematics is in the study of any scientific discipline. My advice to anybody preparing to study mathematics at a high school level is tonot view maths as something abstract that is only found in some old maths textbook, but that maths is a very necessary tool for describingthe scientific world we live in.Mathematics is the thing that I’ve always been good at and I personally enjoy the problem-solving nature of a good maths puzzle, but Ialso enjoy walking out of my office each day and meeting the hospital patients, knowing full well that the maths problem I’m solvingtoday might tomorrow make the difference in how a patient is treated when they need urgent medical assistance.

“By studying what I was good at and enjoyed I haveended up with a varied and interesting career usingmathematics”.

Age: 35Job title: Consultant Analyst,Lawson Software Inc.Job description:Carry out consulting work in the retailsector and provide business advice tocompanies based on analysis of pastshopping behaviour of consumers.Secondary school subjects:Mathematics (double subject), Physics,

Chemistry, English, French and Technical Drawing.Tertiary study: Bachelor of Science with Honours, majoringin Mathematics at the University of Western Australia. PhD inMathematics at the University of Queensland.When I graduated from my first degree I spent a couple ofyears working as a research assistant and teaching assistantat universities. Over this period I became interested in doingmore research and pursuing an academic career. I enrolledfor a PhD in pure mathematics at the University ofQueensland. After that I began a post-doctoral fellowshipat Oxford University in Applied Research – trying to usemathematical techniques to advance the science of efficientuse of radio frequencies. In a system such as a mobiletelephone network there are a number of radio channelsavailable for telephone links. These need to be efficientlyassigned to transmitters to make the best use of the channelsavailable, and provide as many concurrent calls as possible,while maintaining suitable call quality standards.On completion of my PhD I made a break from the academicworld and moved into the public service for awhile. I spent15 months working in London for the Department ofEducation and Employment in their Analytical Servicesdivision, using mathematics to help plan for the future. Wewere predicting pupil numbers so that we could determinethe required number of schools and teachers needed invarious regions. Did we need to build new schools or expandexisting ones so that all children could go to school? It takestime to build a new school so something like this needs to beplanned well ahead of the children turning up at school atthe age of 5!Following that I moved into the private sector and beganworking with a small start-up company called Numbercraft.When I began there were just 8 of us. We expanded to about20 and were then bought by a large American softwarecompany called Lawson. There are now about 1,600 of usspread throughout several countries.In our office we use mathematical techniques to solveproblems for other businesses. For example, we analyse pastshopping behaviour in supermarkets to advise them on issuessuch as range choice, product substitutions, shopping eventclassifications, store design, store performance comparisons,and customer behaviour analysis. We use our in-housesoftware based on algorithms designed by mathematiciansto give us an edge over some of our competitors.My day to day work is in the office, using a computer towork through the hundreds of thousands of records ofshopping data we must analyse. I also have to preparepresentations summarising our results to explain our workand our findings to our clients so they can use the informationto improve their businesses.

Rebecca GowerUQ Mathematics GraduatesAndrea Marshall interprets the weather for Qantas flight planners.

Mark Griffin creates mathematical models of the function of the human brain.

Phil Hawkes is a cryptographer working ondeveloping 3G mobile phones.

Age: 30Job title: Staff Engineer forQualcomm International, specializing incryptology and other security aspectsapplicable to mobile phones.

Job description:I am mostly involved in designing andanalyzing security aspects of mobilephones and mobile phone networks.

Secondary school subjects:English, Mathematics, Engineering

science and science subjects.

Tertiary study:Bachelor of Science (Mathematics major), UQ, 1993.Bachelor of Science, Honours 1st Class in Mathematics, UQ, 1994.PhD in Mathematics, UQ, 1999.

Salary Range: $80,000-$110,000

I have been with Qualcomm for 5 years now. My speciality is lookingfor weaknesses in ciphers that are (for example) used to scramblemobile phone calls, web pages and email. I have been surprised bythe many various aspects of mathematics I’ve encountered alongthe way! I have flexibility in the research I want to do. Some of myresearch is of academic interest, and I get to publish the results atinternational conferences. Other research has commercialapplications. Someday soon you may be holding a mobile phonewith “Phil” technology inside!In recent years I have also been involved in helping develop thesecurity standards for 3G (third generation) mobile phones. Themeetings are spread over the Americas, Asia and Europe, so thishas given me further opportunities to explore the world. I havetaken up photography as a hobby to keep me entertained while Iam travelling.I always have something to keep me busy researching. I (and othercryptographers like me) are constantly looking for new attacks oncurrent ciphers and then working out how to design ciphers thatresist these attacks. Sometimes it is really boring and repetitive, butI’ve learnt that you can’t have good times without the boring times.You may have heard the saying “The journey is more importantthan the destination”. In the case of mathematics, I have to agree:the satisfaction I get from the process of getting the result exceedsthe satisfaction I get from having obtained a result.