Mathematics is not redundant

Sounds like a terrible idea.

This is a deeply troubling move, but a loss at this institution will so much more to damage theirs reputation than I think they realise.

This is disgraceful.

I like maths

I am honestly shocked and disgusted that you would even consider axing the mathematics department. Scientific progress depends on a healthy interaction between people with a variety of research specializations, including mathematicians.

This will do tremendous and immediate damage to undergraduate maths teaching at Leciester, and whatever benefit the currently-fashionable topics in applied mathematics may get is likely to be short-lived. Universities need balanced programs.

Mathematics is not redundant!

This is absolutely ridiculous - the University of Leicester has plenty of unnecessary administrators and VPs that can be released if the university needs funds.

An atrocious plan made with no understanding of the value of pure mathematical research. A data science department and no pure mathematics? Just who do they think will want to work in a depleted University of Leicester?

Come on, people. You are better then this, and you know.

Pure mathematics is behind the major advances in science, including physics and computation. Dropping pure maths will cause reputational damage to the university, and practical damage to science.

Pure mathematics has given us everything. AI and "data science" have given us businesses that are 2 to 3 percent more efficient.

Maths kicks ass

This decision would make the University of Leicester considerably less attractive.

A university should support its staff to do the best research they can. Deciding to refocus attention exclusively on the trendiest subject and fire everyone else is a recipe for the end of scholarship. What happens in ten years when the next AI winter kicks in: do you lay off all the shiny professors you hired to hire some shinier new ones in a different area?

Every major university needs a mathematics department with researchers in pure maths, and this is also where new tools and directions for applied maths originates. Leicester has a strong group in topology and higher category theory, an area that Harvard, e.g., has also invested in, in recent years. To destroy this, would be worse than foolish.

I'm appalled by these plans to disband an excellent research group, and note a potential sex discrimination angle to this, in that (as far as I can see) all the permanently employed female mathematicians at Leicester are within the pure section. Has there been an Equality Impact Assessment for these plans?

I am an applied mathematician who knows that good AI and Data Science require strong pure math backgrounds.

I studied a mathematics MRes in Leicester. The pure mathematics department is excellent, and it would be a shame that the university closed it down.

There's lots of research showing the relevance of pure maths for applied sciences, even though applications may not be visible immediately. A future without pure maths research is a future build on fragile foundations.