St Catherine’s accepts applicants for Mathematics or any of the joint degrees available at the University: Mathematics & Statistics; Mathematics & Computer Science and Mathematics & Philosophy.
St Catherine’s takes pride in its tutorial system. We offer not just first-class tutorials and classes. We also provide a friendly working environment, where students are encouraged to discuss mathematical problems and ideas with their tutors. In the first two years of the course students usually have two tutorials per week, one typically in pure mathematics and one in applied, although this balance may change as students specialise more in particular fields. In the third and fourth years, the lectures are backed up by intercollegiate classes, based in the Mathematical Institute. However, St Catherine’s students, unlike those at many other colleges, continue to meet their tutors in their third and fourth years to discuss any mathematical problems they may have.
We are distinctive in having a large number of tutors, so that students are taught by specialists in their fields. Pure mathematics tutorials are given by Professor Marc Lackenby, whose research interests include topology, geometry and group theory. Probability and statistics are taught by Dr Robert Leese, who is an expert on discrete mathematics and its applications to communications networks. Professor Christoph Reisinger gives tutorials in applied mathematics; his area of expertise is mathematical finance. Applied mathematics is also taught by Professor Andreas Muench, who is a specialist in mathematical modelling, particularly of fluids, and scientific computing.
There is a strong tradition in mathematics at St Catherine’s. This is exemplified by the fact that Sir Michael Atiyah, one of the world’s finest mathematicians and a winner of the Fields Medal, was professorial fellow at the college for over 20 years.
St Catherine’s has one of the larger college libraries in the university, a convenient place to work as well as borrow books, open until midnight during term.