Prof Sarah Hart - President 2026 - 2027

Sarah Hart is a mathematician, author, and public speaker. She is Professor Emerita of Mathematics and Fellow of Birkbeck, University of London, and a Fellow of Gresham College, London.

After studying mathematics at the University of Oxford, Sarah completed a PhD in group theory and went on to build a distinguished academic career. She joined Birkbeck in 2004 and, in 2013, became the College's first female Professor of Mathematics, joining only five other female mathematics professors under the age of forty in the UK at the time. From 2016-19 she was head of the large department of Economics, Mathematics and Statistics at Birkbeck, and Assistant Dean for Retention and Widening participation. During a quarter-century in academic she designed and taught a wide range of courses from introductory modules for first-year undergraduates to advanced group theory for MSc and PhD students. Her contributions to research, teaching, academic leadership, and public engagement were recognised with election as a Fellow of Birkbeck in 2024.

Alongside her research interests in abstract algebra (specifically group theory), Sarah has become widely known for her work communicating mathematics to broader audiences. From 2020 to 2024 she served as Gresham Professor of Geometry. Founded in 1597, the chair is the oldest mathematics professorship in the UK and has previously been held by figures including Robert Hooke and Nobel laureate Sir Roger Penrose. Hart was the first woman ever appointed to the role. Through her Gresham lectures, which have attracted hundreds of thousands of online viewers, she explored topics ranging from the mathematics of lotteries and puzzles to the origins of mathematical notation and the hidden mathematics in art, literature, and music.

Sarah’s career focus nowadays is mathematics communication. Her first book, Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature, was published in 2023. It was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, has been translated into multiple languages, and won the Mathematical Association of America’s Euler book prize. Her next book, exploring the connections between mathematics and music, will be published in 2027.

Throughout her career, Sarah has worked closely with teachers, students, and mathematics enthusiasts of all ages. She has spoken at schools, festivals, conferences, universities, and community events across the UK and internationally. As President of AMiE, Sarah is proud to serve an organisation that does so much to promote mathematics and support mathematics education. Sarah is honoured to follow in the footsteps of the many distinguished mathematicians and educators who have previously served as President, and looks forward to working with AMiE members to celebrate and support mathematics and mathematics education in all its forms.