Interview with Olga Paris-Romaskevich

Olga Paris-Romaskevich is a CNRS researcher at Marseille Institute of Mathematics, working in dynamical systems. In this interview Olga talks about the joy of popularizing mathematics and shares a truly inspiring story of how she (almost) quit math!

Olga's webpage: https://romaskevich.carrd.co​

https://marielhuissier.carrd.co​ (Marie Lhuissier, mathematical storyteller)

https://www.mathematiquesvagabondes.fr​ (French association Mathématiques Vagabondes created by Olga Paris-Romaskevich and Marie Lhuissier, to foster exchange between arts and mathematics)

https://matematika.mathematiquesvagab...​ (site of the MАТЕМАТИКА project — exchanging with women in mathematics in Russia)

http://ciel.mmi-lyon.fr/​ Exhibition Mathematics of the sky

0:00​ teaser
00:30​ unexpected interview outcome
01:16​ when math research became a choice
04:45​ why you choose math
8:44​ what being a mathematician means 
10:43​ how math changed you
12:50​ which skills math research gives you
17:16​ desired changes in the math community
21:21​ what’s included in “inclusivity”
25:48​ young mathematicians feeling included
28:14​ math as an instrument in life
32:28​ why popularize math
36:15​ traveling through Russia to collect math stories
38:28​ how Olya inspired me to start “Math-life balance”
39:19​ the importance of dreaming
40:10​ how Olya quit academia (not clickbait:) )
44:28​ what happens when you decide to stop doing math
47:30​ don’t change how you are, change the world around
49:57​ not working when you don’t have motivation
51:38​ how to learn a TED talk
53:24​ cool metaphor of math research
56:12​ advice to those who feel lost these days