Mathematics is not redundant

"How to transform a respected institution into a coding bootcamp"

Discarding Pure Mathematics for the sake of something fashionable/marketable is extremely short-sighted, and will undoubtedly tarnish Leicester's international reputation as a research institution. Many of the world's top research and learning institutions have a strong emphasis on Pure Math *and* Computer Science, they are not mutually exclusive.

VC, what do you mean by "to ensure a future research identity in AI"?

As an applied mathematician I wouldn't have considered studying nor applying for a research/lecture position at a uni without a strong pure maths department, and with a weakened maths department you will likely find it difficult to attract good candidates for AI, data science, computational modelling etc.

The study of mathematics has helped all the sciences. Doing without that will remove a part of intellectual beauty and the heart of our understanding of the world without and within.

Pure Mathematics is fundamental research to be preserved.

This is outrageous and incredibly short-sighted! How will Leicester be able to call itself a university if they do not even participate in Pure Mathematics research.

There cannot be meaningful research in data science without the underpinning of pure maths.

UCLouvain

Without pure mathematics research, there would be no mathematics to apply in the domains the university wants to excel in! Not to mention you will lower the diversity at your university. Finally, the combative methods you are using by making the current full-time employees battle for positions is wrong.

I'm baffled at the sheer stupidity of this decision. Do they not understand how maths works?

Separating pure mathematics from applied math/data science is a fool's game. They build on and strengthen each other. Your computational modeling students will be weaker for not having exposure to the teaching of pure mathematicians.

Pure Mathematics is the foundation on which research in those mentioned feels lie. Removing pure math researchers is incompatible with the purpose of a University, a place for people to further deepen our understanding of the universe and the world we live in.

So they want to fire all the women mathematicians in order to "ensure a future research identity in AI"?

Misguided, regressive and potentially discriminatory. Please do not do this.

This is an insanely stupid decision. It completely fails to understand the nature of mathematics and in particular the way that undergraduate teaching needs to be done by research active staff. It would also render its mathematics degree programme totally useless and discourage interested in taking a BSc from doing it in Lancaster. On the research side, the pure mathematicians in have strong reputations internationally and destroying this group would be an act of vandalism. To mention one area, data science, that is mentioned as part of the future `research identity', I note that a considerable amount of activity on mathematical aspects of this has been based on methods arising from algebraic topology which is currently an active area in Lancaster. Rather than destroying this existing research strength it would make more sense to invest in it.

This is a logical consequence of the ongoing marketization of higher education. Many fellow scientists/mathematicians mentioned to me that they would not recommend their career path to their children. Sad...

Destroy pure math research is a short loss and a long loss for a research university.

Pure mathematics is the backbone on which modern computing is built. Eliminating research in pure mathematics for the purpose of emphasizing a specific application is extremely short-sighted. Those who make new breakthroughs in applications are frequently doing so because of the fundamental cognitive and theoretical tools provided to them by the study of pure mathematics.

The VC seems to want to ruin the insitution, as opposed to building a first rate insitution. They need to be replaced, not the researchers.