The Councils of the IMA and the London Mathematical Society are delighted to announce that the 2024 Christopher Zeeman Medal is awarded to Brady Haran. The Christopher Zeeman Medal is the UK award dedicated to recognising excellence in the communication of mathematics.
An event to present Brady with his award is currently being arranged and details will be published on the societies websites, magazines and social media.
The following citation describes Brady Haran’s exceptional work in this field.
Brady is the creator of the phenomenally successful Numberphile.
Numberphile is a YouTube channel featuring short videos which showcase varying levels of mathematics to a world-wide audience.
Most feature mathematicians being interviewed by Haran, from Fields Medals winners to postgraduate students. Guests have included John Conway, Ron Graham, James Maynard, Timothy Gowers, Terry Tao and the IMA’s President Hannah Fry.
Since 2011, the videos have been watched nearly 700 million times and inspired many young viewers to pursue a career in mathematics (and cause many older viewers to wish they had!). They are among the most viewed mathematics content in the world.
While the videos are aimed at a ‘lay’ audience, they have become a resource for many teachers in schools and universities. Haran also produces the Numberphile podcast – extended interviews with mathematicians about their careers.
Haran is the creator of other extremely popular educational channels. Computerphile, which has strong mathematical element, covers computer science. Other channels cover the topics of chemistry (Periodic Videos) and physics (Sixty Symbols). He also hosts the Objectivity video series, discussing objects and documents from archives at the Royal Society and other libraries. Some of the items relate to mathematicians, from Isaac Newton to the amateur mathematician William Shanks. Combined, his videos have been viewed over 1.3 billion times and are some of the most watched educational videos on the web.
All the videos are primarily motivated by a desire to share the wonder of the subjects – but also the humanity and personality of the people who work in the fields.
The videos have helped and encouraged many mathematicians to increase their efforts with respect to communicating the joy of mathematics. Having made a video with Brady, mathematicians develop skills and see the impact of their efforts. Crucially, Numberphile videos do not avoid getting stuck into the mathematical detail, while also being interesting and engaging. Different videos appeal to different audiences, from primary school children to graduate students. The channel also presents the diversity of the mathematical community, providing role models for the next generation.
His work has been recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and an honorary doctorate from the University of Nottingham.
Prior to becoming an independent filmmaker, Haran was a newspaper journalist and video journalist for the BBC. Haran is a dual UK-Australian citizen and lives near Bristol.
You can read Brady's reaction winning the prize on his blog.
