5 Famous Female Mathematicians To Tell Your Students About
Here are five inspirational female mathematicians, all of whom were born in the 20th Century. Introduce your pupils to the lives and achievements of these remarkable mathematicians - you could even encourage your students to add to this list through a homework or extended research project.
Julia Robinson (1919 - 1985)
Photo Credit: MacTutor
Julia Robinson is best known for helping to solve a famous problem in mathematics called Hilbert’s 10th Problem. In 1900 David Hilbert challenged the world with his 10th Problem, asking whether there is an algorithm which can decide if there are integer solutions for certain types of polynomial equations.
Hilbert’s 10th Problem is simple enough to be understood by an A-Level student, but turned out to be fiendishly difficult to prove. In 1970, Julia Robinson’s work finally led to a proof that no such algorithm exists, a huge contribution to 20th Century mathematics.
In America there is a Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, which has a vision to make maths fun and boost confidence among young people. This Festival Website has a great selection of puzzles which can be used in the classroom.
More In depth Article on Julia Robinson
Fan Chung (1949- )
Photo Credit: MacTutor
As a student in 1971 Fan Chung gained the attention of Professor Herbert Wilf after she scored the highest entrance mark in her graduate studies. Wilf gave her a book on Ramsey theory to read and one-week later Fan Chung surprised everyone when she returned having proved a new major result. This was the beginning of an illustrious mathematical career, working mainly in the fields of Combinatorics and Graph Theory.
Fan Chung is also known for being a close personal friend and mathematical collaborator with Paul Erdős, one if the most eccentric and famous mathematicians of the 20th Century. Fan Chung worked on 14 mathematical papers with Erdős, and when he was in town, Chung and her husband Ron Graham opened up their home to give the nomadic Erdős a base, as he lived out of a suitcase.
Fan Chung and Ron Graham with Paul Erdős
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Kathleen Adebola Okikiolu (1965-)
%20adebola%20okikiolu.jpg)
Photo Credit: MacTutor
Kathleen (Kate) Adebola Okikiolu is a renowned research mathematician who was the first black recipient of the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship. She completed her undergraduate Mathematics Degree at the University of Cambridge and her PhD at the University of California at Los Angeles before becoming a Professor of Mathematics at John Hopkins University in the U.S. Kathleen Okikiolu comes from a mathematical family, her mother Patricia Edwards was a mathematics teacher, and her father was the Nigerian mathematician, George Okikiolu.
Quote from Kathleen Okikiolu: “As I learned more mathematics, I saw that it is an entire world of its own which many people choose to live in, a world in many ways more real than the real world; it feels permanent, eternal, and offers a deep sense of security because nearly everyone who understands it agrees on what is truth. By the time I had finished at Cambridge, I was very involved with mathematics and did not consider other careers.”
Julia Gog (c.1980-)
Photo Credit: Lionel D’souza
Julia Gog is a Professor of Mathematical Biology at the University of Cambridge. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, she was one of the expert mathematical modellers who advised the UK government as a member of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). Julia is also committed to mathematical outreach, and as well as being Academic director of the Millennium Mathematics Project she has appeared on TV in the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. In 2023 she won the IMA Hedy Lamarr Prize for Knowledge Exchange in Mathematics and its Applications.
Read More about Professor Julia Gog.
Hannah Fry (1984-)
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
In 2025 the University of Cambridge appointed Hannah Fry as the first ever Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics. Rarely off our TV Screens, she is an award-winning author, broadcaster and TV presenter who has become famous for showing how maths is never boring and how it impacts the world around us. Over the years Hannah Fry has authored several books including The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation and appeared in TV shows such as The Secret Genius of Modern Life. Hannah Fry was even appointed as Chief Number Cruncher for the Channel 4 coverage of the 2024 General Election.
Introduce your pupils to Professor Hannah Fry on the Numberphile YouTube Channel.
Further Information
Meet more Famous Female Mathematicians in this article: 5 Famous Female Mathematicians Who Helped To Shape History
The AMSP also has detailed advice and guidance on Encouraging Girls’ Participation in Maths.
------
Keep up-to-date with the latest Maths Scholarships news:
Find us on X (Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.
Join our mailing list or get in touch Here.