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