Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford

The Mathematical Institute stands on Woodstock Road in North Oxford between Somerville College and Green Templeton College. It occupies a modern building designed for mathematics, next to the Faculty of Philosophy. The site lies in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, close to the former Radcliffe Infirmary. The institute moved here in 2013 from older buildings on St Giles’. Its purpose-built Andrew Wiles Building was funded in part by a US$25 million grant, the largest ever for a UK mathematics department. The entrance path features a Penrose tiling pattern created by Sir Roger Penrose, who holds an emeritus post at the institute. The institute is one of the largest mathematics departments in the country with about 200 academic staff. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework it was ranked top in the UK for mathematical sciences. Research covers all branches from algebra and geometry to applications in industry, finance, and biology. Notable figures linked to Oxford mathematics include Christopher Wren, Edmond Halley, John Wallis, Lewis Carroll, and Henry John Stephen Smith. The institute hosts research groups such as the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology and the Oxford Centre for Collaborative Applied Mathematics. Visitors find a bright, functional building arranged around mathematical ideas. Natural light enters through structures shaped like graph-theory crystals and vibrating surfaces. Inside, lecture halls and seminar rooms serve undergraduates on four degree courses and postgraduates on five programmes. Public events and school activities introduce mathematics to wider audiences. Staff including Sir Roger Penrose, David Acheson, and Marcus du Sautoy share their work through books, broadcasts, and online talks. The building reflects both the university’s history and its continuing ambition in mathematical research.