Supporting the Next Generation: 30 Years of Developing Mathematical Talent
For 30 years, PIMS has invested not only in mathematical research, but also in the people who will carry it forward.
Supporting emerging researchers has been central to the PIMS mission since its earliest years. Through programs like postdoctoral fellowships, research funding, summer schools, workshops, conferences, Collaborative Research Groups, PIMS Research Networks, international collaborations through CNRS, NCTS, ICMS, and more, PIMS helps graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers build the knowledge, connections and experience needed to establish their careers.
Creating opportunities at a critical stage
The transition from graduate studies to an independent research career is a formative period for mathematicians. PIMS Postdoctoral Fellowships provide support for outstanding early-career researchers at universities across the PIMS network, combining financial support with opportunities for research travel, engagement with the PIMS network, and participation in the broader mathematical community.
Over PIMS’ first three decades, more than 450 postdoctoral positions have been supported across the network. Collaborative Research Groups and PIMS Research Networks are another source of support: these multi-year research programs bring together researchers from across institutions and fund postdoctoral appointments, scientific exchanges and events.
PIMS summer schools, workshops, thematic programs and conferences give emerging researchers opportunities to learn directly from specialists in their fields.
This combination of learning and connection is particularly important in mathematics, where progress often develops through sustained collaborations and the exchange of ideas. PIMS programs deliberately bring together graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, established researchers and international experts, creating opportunities for partnerships that can continue long after an event has ended.
From emerging researchers to research leaders
The value of these communities can be seen in the careers of mathematicians across the PIMS network.
Just this year, Joshua Zahl and Pablo Shmerkin were among the recipients of the prestigious Clay Research Award, recognized alongside Tuomas Orponen and Hong Wang for remarkable work on major problems in geometric and harmonic analysis, including breakthroughs on the Furstenberg set conjecture and Kakeya conjecture.
Both Josh and Pablo have participated in the PIMS research community during their careers, and their experiences speak to a larger theme: mathematical development rarely happens in isolation.
As Pablo reflects: “Looking back, many of the important steps in my research came through interactions with other mathematicians. Collaborations that began at conferences or research programs sometimes developed over years and eventually led to significant breakthroughs.”
Their accomplishments are their own, but their experiences illustrate something PIMS has sought to foster for three decades.
Investing in what comes next
Talent development is a continuum: from a graduate student's first summer school, to a postdoctoral appointment, to an international research collaboration, and eventually to opportunities to mentor the next generation.
As PIMS celebrates its 30th anniversary, we continue to invest in people as well as ideas. Our aim is to ensure that emerging mathematicians have not only the resources to pursue ambitious research, but also the community in which that research can flourish.