New divisional structure at the Department of Mathematics
The Head of School has previously decided to change the management structure of the departments at the SCI school. As part of this initiative, each Head och Department has been asked to develop a new organizational structure. First in line to implement these changes is the Department of Mathematics, where the introduction of four new divisions is planned to take place on September 1, 2023.
Mats Boij, Head of the Department of Mathematics, what is the background behind the change in the divisional structure and what advantages does it provide?
"Discussions regarding potential changes to the department's organizational and managerial framework have been in progress for some time and we received a lot of help from the collaborative process at the school to move forward. The new structure will be more cohesive compared to the previous arrangement. I am confident that it will promote seamless operations across all divisions, directing focus on the core activities."
What are the new divisions?
"Our starting point was to look at the existing research groups at the department and find possible ways to combine them into suitably large departments. There were a couple of different proposals that we discussed during the spring, and in May we were able to agree on which one to proceed with:
- Dynamical Systems, Number Theory, PDE, Differential Geometry
- Numerical Analysis, Optimization, Systems Theory
- Algebraic Geometry, Combinatorics, Algebraic Topology
- Probability Theory and Mathematical Physics, Mathematical Statistics
We haven't decided upon the names of the divisions yet. It will be one of the first questions to be discussed during the divisions' workplace meetings."
How were the new heads of divisions chosen?
"We established a committee within the department with broad representation. The committee's initial task was to propose candidates for Vice Heads of Departments and Heads of Divisions. Many strong candidates emerged, which also validates that the structure provides the opportunity to rotate the assignments as it was intended to do.
I am truly looking forward to start working with the new management team to ensure a smooth start for the new organization."
The new Heads of Divisions at the Department of Mathematics are:
