Outreach & Gender equality in STEM

Maths Project Days UCLouvain

In 2025, I founded the Maths Project Days at UCLouvain. Inspired by similar projects in France, such as Les Cigales at CIRM in Marseille, this 4-day event invites girls from ages 14 to 16 to come work in small groups on research projects under the supervision of mathematics researchers from UCLouvain.

The key aim is to provide an open and welcoming space for girls to explore their interest in mathematics, in hopes of counteracting internalised biases that might prevent them from wanting to pursue mathematics and STEM.

The first iteration of the event is set to take place from the 3rd until the 6th of September 2025. Event page

Hosting the "Remember Maryam Mirzakhani" Exhibition at UCLouvain, 2025

For the International day for women in Mathematics, which takes place every year on the 12th of May, I hosted the "Remember Maryam Mirzakhani" exhibition (created by the International Mathematical Union's Committee for Women in Mathematics) at the institute for research in mathematics and physics (IRMP) at UCLouvain. The exhibition took place from the 8th of May until the 30th of May 2025, and was visited by many staff members and students.

On the day of the official opening, I gave a speech about the importance of efforts for inclusion and equity in mathematics, using Maryam Mirzakhani as an example. I argued that it is our duty as academics and educators to make a conscious effort to help those with an affinity for mathematics to succeed, because excellence can and does come from every corner of the world. Read the full speech here.

Event page

Talk at Dédra-MATH-isons 2025

Dédra-MATH-isons is an outreach event similar to math.en.jeans organised by the EPL of UCLouvain. Apart from talks given by high-school students (5th and 6th year, ages 16-18) about the mathematics projects they worked on in groups throughout the school year, there are also talks by young researchers in mathematics and engineering.

In this talk (24 April 2025), I explained my motivations for doing research in mathematics: to me, research in mathematics is an answer to the innate human traits of curiosity and a desire for beauty. In this way mathematics plays the same role as the arts. I then also explained what it is like to do research in mathematics. I likened it to climbing a mountain that has never been climbed before.