The Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Annagiri Sumana

Challenges of relocation: case study of ants

Home is important for a variety of organisms, including humans. Have you wondered how other animals overcome the challenges of moving to a new home? We will glimpse into the lives of ant colonies as they find and move into a new nest. During this time, the colony faces many challenges including cohesion, carrying stored resources, and navigating across a heterogenous terrain. Overcoming these challenges is important for the survival and fitness of the ant colony. Through lab and field experiments and observations of Diacamma indicum we try to understand this behaviour and its evolution.

Annagiri Sumana is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata where she teaches courses in Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour to both undergraduate and graduate students. Sumana did her undergraduate studies in Mysore, PhD at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. She and the members of her laboratory have been studying the behaviour, ecology and evolution of ants these past 16 years. She currently serves as the Secretary of the Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists (ISEB).

U K Anandavardhanan

A gentle invitation to number theory

The theory of numbers is known for its rich supply of questions which are easy to ask but difficult to answer. The fascinating story of such questions is illustrated through the example of the “congruent number problem”, one of the oldest open problems in mathematics. The problem asks if every natural number can be the area of a triangle with all rational side lengths. We will touch upon the most elementary aspects of this problem and give an overview of some of the later developments.

Anandavardhanan is a faculty in the Department of Mathematics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. He did his BSc from the University of Calicut and MSc and PhD from the University of Hyderabad. He was also a visiting fellow at TIFR Mumbai.

Richa Singh

Shadows and Light: The Thrilling Odyssey of Trusted AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming various fields, improving efficiency and enabling new capabilities. However, as AI becomes more integrated into our lives, concerns about its reliability, fairness and ethical use have grown. We will look at the importance of high-quality data, which is the foundation for AI systems, and how issues in datasets can affect AI performance and trustworthiness. We will also discuss the challenges posed by deepfake technologies and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of face recognition. By focusing on responsible practices for creating and using AI systems, including fairness, privacy, and compliance, we aim to contribute to building trustworthy AI that benefits everyone.

Richa Singh is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur. She received her PhD from West Virginia University, USA. Richa has worked on large public data projects including UIDAI (Aadhaar) and designing biometrics standards for e-Gov applications. She is a Fellow of IEEE, IAPR and INAE.

Pinaki Chaudhuri

In a disordered world

‘Disordered systems’, like glass, foam, and sand piles, lack the regular structure of crystals, leading to fascinating and complex behaviour. Their unique mechanics—how they deform, flow, and break—are key to understanding everything from the durability of materials to natural events like earthquakes and avalanches. Studying these systems uncovers principles that shape both the natural world and cutting-edge technologies and even biological phenomena.

Pinaki Chaudhuri is a faculty member in the Theoretical Physics group at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai. He did his undergraduate studies at the Presidency College, Kolkata and then an Integrated PhD from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. He is interested in the study of complex systems focusing on disordered materials, how they are formed and how they respond to different kinds of perturbation.