Outreach
Videos, audio, articles and projects that use mathematics to engage wider audiences.
“An idea not communicated can scarcely be said to exist.”
As an academic, I spend much of my time producing mathematics that relatively few people need to read directly. Publicly funded research also needs to be explained clearly beyond academia, so outreach is a substantial part of my work.
Videos and social media
Talks, demonstrations, interviews and social posts, newest first. Dates are publication dates unless an event year is shown.
2026
Instagram ·
@cardiffunikazakhstan
A visit to Cardiff University Kazakhstan and the real-world applications of mathematical modelling.
Instagram ·
@cardiffunikazakhstan
An announcement for the Cardiff University Kazakhstan webinar on 28 May 2026.
YouTube ·
Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics (ESI)
2025
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
MDPI Sciforum
Instagram ·
@cardiffuni
Cardiff mathematicians discuss the mathematical skills the new Pope brings to his role.
Instagram ·
@bbcradio4
Brian Cox and Robin Ince explore shapes in nature with Sarah Hart, Thomas Woolley and Dave Gorman.
Instagram ·
@cardiffuni
A Pi Day quiz in the corridors of Abacws.
2024
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
e-sgol
YouTube ·
Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants
YouTube ·
The London Standard
YouTube ·
Modeling Cell Development & Regeneration
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2017
2016
YouTube ·
Oxford Mathematics
YouTube ·
Oxford Mathematics
YouTube ·
Oxford Mathematics
YouTube ·
Oxford Mathematics
YouTube ·
Oxford Mathematics
2015
YouTube ·
Thomas Woolley
YouTube ·
Thomas Woolley
YouTube ·
TEDx Talks
YouTube ·
Thomas Woolley
YouTube ·
Thomas Woolley
2014
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Marvellous Mathemagicians
YouTube ·
Thomas Woolley
YouTube · 2014 (event year)
Marvellous Mathemagicians
2012
YouTube ·
Thomas Woolley
YouTube ·
everythingismaths
YouTube ·
everythingismaths
YouTube ·
everythingismaths
YouTube ·
everythingismaths
YouTube ·
singingbanana
YouTube ·
Numberphile
YouTube ·
Numberphile
2011
Audio
Radio and podcast appearances.
Other media
- Cardiff University: mathematicians propose a new model to quantify material uncertainties.
- Interview with Dr Thomas Woolley about mathematical biology and academic research.
- The Independent: Students returning home for Christmas caused thousands of Covid infections, study suggests.
- The Telegraph: More than 9,000 infected with COVID-19 as a result of students returning home for Christmas.
- COMSOL (the company behind the software) picking up on my Kaiju modelling.
- Scientific American covering my zebrafish work.
- Cardiff study sheds light on zebrafish stripe mystery.
- Zebrafish discovery throws new light on human hearing disorders.
- New app to implement social distancing on public transport.
- COVID-19: how many infections could returning university students cause?
- Social distancing is making public transport worse for the environment than cars; here's how to fix it.
- Coronavirus: Why the maths behind COVID alert levels makes no sense.
- Godzilla, King Kong: films are actually spot on in how to defeat kaijus.
- How animals got their spots and stripes: according to maths.
- The incomplete map of the cosmic genome. What is mathematical biology? What can it do? What has it done?
- Skeptics in the Pub Podcast: Cambridge. Sarah Castor-Perry interviews me about what maths tells us about a zombie infection.
- SFX article. Article reviewing Nine worlds 2013 geek conference. Mentions me as the "best thing"!
- An article in The Times about my zombie article, also picked up in the Times Higher Education.
- Apparently, it appeared on io9 as well. I was not even told!
- An article in CITYA.M. about other mathematical modelling of Halloween bad guys.
- For the Spanish speakers amongst you here is a write up of my animal patterning work written after I gave a talk at the University of Mexico
- The Oxford Science Blog covers the zombie mathematics.
- The Oxford Science Blog also ran a piece on my stingray patterning research.
- I appeared on Math/Maths podcast talking about my work on Dara O'Briain's School of Hard Sums.
- Along with Will Binzi, I presented a podcast version of our maths workshop, "A Mathematician's Holiday". Although lacking the fun atmosphere the videos demonstrate how to run the workshop for school teachers.
Other outreach websites
- Maths at. A podcast about the maths of films that I run with my friends Ben Parker and Hannah Veale.
- The laughing mathematician. My very own outreach blog.
- WCMB blog. Articles on the cutting edge of mathematical biological research, written by the mathematicians.
- Marcus' Marvellous Mathemagicians. Marcus du Sautoy's outreach group can be contacted through this webpage.
- Maths in the City. Tours and articles on the maths behind your city.
Zombies
In 2009, Robert Smith? and collaborators published a mathematical biology paper modelling an outbreak of zombies. The conclusions were bleak: if the dead should rise, there may be little room left for the living.
In 2010, a call went out to mathematical colleagues for chapters in Mathematical Modelling of Zombies. I immediately jumped at the chance. The book was published for Halloween 2014. I also give talks about this work at science festivals and workshops. If you're interested in knowing more, please contact me.
Zombie illustration courtesy of Martin Berube.
