Dr Arunima (Aru) Ray is a Senior Lecturer in Pure Mathematics. Aru works on solving problems in topology, a study of shapes that goes beyond size and volume to look at what exactly makes a doughnut different from a doughnut hole. “In topology you could say an AFL football is the same as a soccer ball, but a frisbee disc is very different to a frisbee ring!”
Aru also enjoys amigurumi and the crochet projects she is most proud of include a magnetic Katamari (from the Playstation game), a trio of Totoros, and a large Snorlax that she is currently in the middle of making.
Aru's website: https://aru-ray.github.io/
What was your relationship with maths and stats like in school?
I liked maths at school but didn’t really think it was a thing that someone could do professionally. I thought maths was just about doing lots of calculations, which was fine, just not that interesting to me. I found doing proofs and later maths to be much more interesting.
What is your most treasured mathematical memory?
I remember when a tutor gave me a “proof” that 1=2 and challenged me to work out what was wrong with the argument. Even though the result was clearly wrong, the maths seemed correct on the surface. It took me some time, but I really loved working on it and was proud of myself when I figured out where the “proof” went wrong. I was surprised that was so fun and realised that maths could be like this, about critical thinking and solving puzzles!
What is the best/worst thing about working in maths and stats?
Moving to work in different places is one of the best and worst things. Moving around a lot to work as an academic can be hard, the change and uncertainty is difficult especially early in your career. The good side of moving around a lot is that I’ve got to live in 6 different countries! It has still been exciting every time that I’ve moved to a new place.
Another thing I love about working in maths is that I get to solve problems all day! I love solving puzzles. I enjoy communication too, explaining to other people in a way they’ll understand, that’s also a puzzle.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy solving puzzles more generally, even on holidays I’ll do sudoku puzzles or jigsaw puzzles. 4000 pieces is my current record. It’s a life goal of mine to do a giant mural-sized puzzle like a 10,000 piece!