Twenty-five of the UK's leading mathematical scientists, including four Fields Medallists, have written to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to warn that 'central planning and micro-managing research' will have devastating consequences for the nation.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) announced in July that researchers from all areas of the mathematical sciences except statistics and applied probability are ineligible to apply for fellowships, until further notice. As a result, even the best of this year's PhDs in such subjects as geometry, fluid dynamics, number theory, and computational mathematics may be unable to continue their research in the UK, it is feared.
The scientists say that EPSRC's decision cuts off 'an essential part of the pipeline that allows some PhDs to become leading researchers'. It was made 'without any meaningful consultation of the UK mathematics community'.
The scientists argue that mathematics is essential for the fastest growing sectors of the economy, from Google to medical imaging to financial services. "It is foolhardy to claim that one part of mathematics is the only useful one," they point out. For one thing, "business applications of mathematics often come from the most surprising and unpredictable sources."
In a separate letter, Prof. Margaret Wright of New York University, the chair of the 2010 International Review of the Mathematical Sciences (IRMS) panel commissioned by EPSRC, wrote to EPSRC that the new policy is not even the best way to help statistics, the science of extracting knowledge from data. The IRMS panel recommended other ways EPSRC could help statistics, which have so far been ignored.
David Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC, testified to the Commons science and technology committee that EPSRC's Shaping Capability policy is a deliberate move away from the goal of funding the best research. Rather, EPSRC will direct funding to EPSRC-favoured parts of each science.
Delpy claimed that EPSRC's knowledge of 'the whole portfolio' meant that it does not need to consult the UK's learned societies in particular sciences such as mathematics.
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
