By Dr Katherine Tant
EPSRC UKRI Innovation Fellow and Chancellor’s Fellow
University of Strathclyde
Dr Katherine Tant is an applied mathematician conducting research at the interface between mathematics and industry. In June 2018, she was awarded a 3 year EPSRC UKRI Innovation fellowship for her work in ultrasonic tomography and was subsequently appointed as a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Strathclyde in May 2019. Her research interests revolve around the modelling of waves in complex materials and using this knowledge to ‘see the unseen’; how can we create images of a solid object’s interior using wave data collected on its surface? This is a hugely important question throughout many industries, including medical imaging, geophysics and non-destructive testing.
As a result of her training and experience, Katherine is committed to promoting the role of mathematics in tackling real-world challenges and, in 2016, co-published the book UK Success Stories in Industrial Mathematics, which showcased mathematical research that had resulted in positive industrial, societal and environmental impacts. By acting as an ambassador for mathematics in the real world, Katherine wants to inspire the next generation of mathematicians and dispel the longstanding myth that teaching and finance are the only two career options available to maths graduates!
Another cause important to Katherine is the advancement of women in STEMM subjects. She is currently participating in the Homeward Bound programme, a global year-long leadership program for women in science which focusses on the development of leadership capacity, strategic capability and visibility and culminates in a 3 week intensive Antarctic voyage. She hopes this programme will facilitate her growth as an inclusive, transparent and decisive leader and she hopes to use the skills and mind-set she develops to build a strong platform from which she can promote the causes she is passionate about.
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