UNSW Mathematics and Statistics

🔹Dr Michelle Dunbar: Making Maths Click🔹

Michelle Dunbar, an Education-Focussed Lecturer in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, didn’t always plan on a career in mathematics. “I came to UNSW to study physiotherapy, and I ended up changing my course completely,” she says.

The turning point came in her first year as an undergraduate.
“I had a wonderful lecturer who just changed my whole perspective on maths, made everything click, and I thought, oh, this is really beautiful... I really want to do this”.

Now, through her teaching and outreach, Michelle is helping create those same moments of discovery for the next generation of students. Ahead of the School’s flagship outreach event Do the Maths later this month, Michelle is helping run “chalkboard challenges”, a collaborative problem-solving activity designed to make mathematics approachable, social and fun.

At Open Day last year, chalkboards lined the walls as students drifted cautiously towards the problems. “The students are kind of a bit wary of approaching at first, but if they can see something that’s familiar, they tentatively have a go” Michelle says. Before long, hesitation gives way to competition.

“It turns into this big competition, and everybody wants to outdo each other,” she says. “We had so much fun at Open Day”.

The challenges range from Year 10 and Extension 1-style maths questions through to logic and reasoning puzzles where “you don’t need any specialist skills – sometimes the young children do better than the adults, because they’re not overthinking”.

For Michelle, that hands-on approach is central to learning mathematics. “Maths is kind of a subject where you learn by doing, not by watching necessarily,” she says. “You can see the polished solution, but once you actually get in there and try it, then you’re like, oh, okay, I didn’t think about that”. And it’s those moments of understanding, like Michelle had as a student, that continues to drive her work.

“I love seeing the penny drop, and a smile on their face, when students experience a flash of understanding - where they’re like, oh, now I get it!”.

-Profile by Liam Ruz, UNSW Science Snr Engagement Officer-

Professor David Warton, who co-authored this study, said "A fun thing about being a statistician is that you can be involved in all sorts of interesting projects, and this was certainly one of them.
"It was fascinating to explore how the jackal is spreading around Europe and to find evidence that this is partly facilitated by humans.”

▶️ Read the journal article at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03060-y

Humans may be unintentionally reshaping predator dynamics across Europe.

New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests golden jackals are using human settlements as a “shield” from wolves, allowing them to expand into new regions across the continent.

The study, including research by UNSW researcher David Warton, found that while wolves remain the strongest constraint on jackal populations, proximity to humans appears to reduce this suppressive effect.

The researchers suggest that alongside climate change and land-use change, this “human shield” effect could allow jackals to occupy up to 75% of Europe.

Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03060-y

Parabola Volume 62 Issue 1 is now out! :D It features a fresh batch of excellent problems by David Angell, Misha Isaev and Sin Keong Tong, as well as fourteen fascinating articles. Enjoy! :)
https://www.parabola.unsw.edu.au/issues/2020-present/year-2026-volume-62

Happy 10 years to Stats Central 🎊 To celebrate, join us for StatFest!

Founded in 2016 by our Statistician, Professor David Warton, and Andrew Hayen (now of UTS), Stats Central provides statistical support to UNSW researchers through consultations, short courses, and collaborative projects.

What started as a small group of four consultants and academic support staff has grown into a skilled team of 12, which includes four former PhD students of our School: Ben Maslen, Maeve McGillycuddy, Gordana Popovic, and Eve Slavich 😊

Join us for “StatFest: Stats Central making sense of noise since 2016” at UNSW on Friday 22 May. ✅ Register now: https://events.humanitix.com/statfest

The free event includes workshops, seminars, and a public lecture by DVC Academic Quality Professor Merlin Crossley. School members Lachlan Astfalck, Kristen Hunter, and Sarat Moka will also present seminars on spatial statistics, causal modelling, and model selection.

“I'm looking forward to StatFest; I’m particularly excited about the public lecture by Professor Merlin Crossley on bioinformatics - an area Stats Central now offers assistance in”, said Professor Warton. “Did you know someone named a squid after Merlin?”

▶️ More about Stats Central: https://bit.ly/48XrcsB

Happy International Women in Mathematics Day! 🎉✨

Celebrated each year on the birthday of Maryam Mirzakhani - the first woman to receive the Fields Medal - this day recognises the extraordinary contributions of women in mathematics and the importance of fostering an inclusive and supportive mathematical community.

Today, we celebrate the incredible women in our School - our academic staff, researchers, HDR candidates, and students - whose dedication, leadership, and achievements continue to shape the future of mathematics and inspire us every day.

Thank you for the impact you make through your teaching, research, mentoring, and learning. We’re proud to celebrate you today and every day!

📸: Click on each image to learn about just some of the recent achievements and notable activities by women in the School!

Learn more about International Women in Mathematics Day:
https://may12.womeninmaths.org/

UNSW Science