hi, I'm Vanessa

Mathematician.
Ocean scientist.
Science communicator.

I am a PhD researcher in Statistical Machine Learning at Imperial College London, where I develop new methods for predicting ocean surface currents. I am also a Guest Teacher in Mathematics at the London School of Economics.

In addition to my teacher and researcher hats, I also wear the hat of Maths & Science Communicator and share science and mathematics through live talks and workshops, writing, and performance, for audiences from primary school children to Sixth Formers and beyond.

My approach is what one interviewer called "mathematics by stealth": I lead with wonder and whimsy, and by the time people realise they have been doing mathematics, they are already enjoying it. I believe that mathematics is the closest thing we have to magic, and I design everything I do to help others experience that for themselves.

My ambitions include children's television, books, and live performance that makes maths feel as surprising and exciting as it actually is. If you are a school, festival, publisher, or organisation interested in working together, I would love to hear from you.

"Science is my Wonderland and Mathematics makes it tick."
PhD Researcher · Imperial College London Guest Teacher · LSE Science Communicator Recreational Mathematics Enthusiast
Things I'm rather proud of

Awards & recognition

Emerging STEM Educator Awards Shortlist
SheCanCode STEM Educator Awards
2026
President's Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement
Imperial College London
2020 & 2024
RCSA Prize - Academic Excellence & Contribution to the College
Royal College of Science Association · Awarded at Commemoration Day with £300
2023
FameLab Southeast Regional Winner & National Finalist
Cheltenham Science Festival / KMTV
2023
Dean's List - Top 10% of MSci Mathematics Year 3
Imperial College London
2022
Outstanding Achievement Medal
Imperial College London
2020
Imperial College Mathematics Society - Inspiration Award
Imperial College London
2020
HSBC Generating Genius Inclusive Innovation Hack - 2nd Place
One of two "most outstanding student" distinctions
2020
Women of the Future - Young Star Award
Women of the Future Programme
2019
EPSRC PhD Studentship - Full Funding
Statistical Machine Learning, Imperial College London
2023 (start)

Academic CV

Download CV

Education

Oct 2023
– Present
PhD in Modern Statistics and Statistical Machine Learning
Imperial College London & University of Oxford · EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (StatML)
Research: developing Statistical Machine Learning methods for predicting ocean surface currents. Awarded EPSRC PhD Studentship.
Oct 2018
– Jun 2023
MSci Mathematics, First Class Honours
Imperial College London
Awards: RCSA Prize, Dean's List (Year 3), First Year Poster Project Prize. Final year research project in Mathematical Computational Oceanography.

Research Experience

Jun 2024
– Present
PhD Research: Statistical Machine Learning for Ocean Surface Current Prediction
Supervisors: Dr Adam Sykulski & Dr Marina Evangelou · Imperial College London
  • Developing multivariate extensions of Natural Gradient Boosting (NGBoost) for probabilistic regression
  • Engineering end-to-end modelling pipelines for sparse, irregularly sampled data
  • Implemented spatial interpolation methods with haversine metrics
  • Extending probabilistic prediction models by incorporating sea surface temperature gradients
Mar – Jun 2024
Robust Models for Time-Varying Signals
Supervisor: Professor Alessandra Luati · PhD Short Project, Imperial College London
  • Derived a general form of the PDF under symmetry and regularity conditions for complex random variables
  • Produced a thorough proof validating the PDF for a weighted infinite sum of i.i.d. uniform random variables
Oct 2023
– Mar 2024
Physically Interpretable Error Metrics for Ocean Surface Models
Supervisor: Dr Adam Sykulski · PhD Short Project, Imperial College London
  • Proposed a system of model evaluation and uncertainty metrics for phenomena-centred ocean surface modelling
  • Presented at SIAM UKIE Annual Meeting 2024 · Awarded SIAM UKIE Student Travel Award
2022 – 2023
Computational Modelling of the Clustering of Floating Drifters on the Ocean Surface
Supervisor: Professor Pavel Berloff · Final Year MSci Project, Imperial College London
  • Constructed a dynamically inspired velocity field from a spectral density function (a novel approach in the field)
  • Produced simulations using Fortran on Imperial's HPC facilities

Teaching & Education

2025
– Present
Guest Teacher in Mathematics
London School of Economics
Teaching modules in abstract mathematics, quantitative methods for finance, and further mathematical methods.
Oct 2024
– Jan 2025
Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant
Imperial College London · Mathematical Mysteries (I-Explore module)
Described by the lead academic as "absolutely the best GTA I have ever worked with". Guided non-mathematician students through infinity, symmetry, prime numbers, logic, and fractals.
2023 – 2025
Academic Leader (Mathematics)
Imperial College London Outreach · Sutton Trust, STEM Futures, STEM Potential, Insights Summer Schools
  • Developed and taught fluid dynamics, probability, fractals, number theory, and infinity to Year 10–12 students from underrepresented backgrounds
  • Created content for the Primary Maths Transition Programme
  • Co-led Primary Science Club at Colville Primary School
Jun – Sep 2019; 2022
Academic Mentor (MAT Preparation Programme)
Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)
  • Mentored Year 12 students preparing for the MAT (Oxford, Imperial, Warwick).
  • Commended by colleagues for clarity of explanation.
  • Designed extension problems for highly capable students preparing for the Mathematics Admissions Test.
  • Provided detailed written feedback throughout the summer.
Jul – Sep 2018
Content Creator (Resources)
Physics and Maths Tutor
Created over 50 model solutions for the Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP), used for admissions to Cambridge and other universities.

Science Communication (selected)

2025 – Present
Freelance Science & Maths Communicator
London and surrounding areas
  • Designing and delivering talks, workshops, and performances for audiences from primary school children to Sixth Formers.
  • Writing mathematical articles and essays for general audiences and mathematical stories for children.
  • Working with organisations including the Royal Institution, Education in Action, KMTV, and Oundle School.
2024
Guest Lecturer, Climate Innovation Day
Royal Institution (Main Lecture Theatre)
Delivered a lecture on fluid dynamics to 300+ Year 5/6 students. Teacher feedback: "The best explanation of fluid dynamics I have ever heard, and I did a mechanical engineering degree!"
2023
FameLab Regional Winner & National Finalist
Cheltenham Science Festival / KMTV
2024
Speaker - Gathering for Gardner (G4G15)
Atlanta, Georgia · Talk: "A Chaotic Series of Mathematical Accidents"
Awarded full G4G scholarship and £900 Dean's Fund Travel Grant.
2025
Speaker - MathsJam Annual Gathering
Talk: "On Sequences of Consecutive Odd Semi-Primes"
2022 – 2023
Chair - RCSU Science Challenge
Royal College of Science Union, Imperial College London
  • Increased participation in the RCSU Science Challenge by 80%
  • Managed a £7,000 budget
  • Established a partnership with the Young Scientists Journal
  • Awarded the RCSU President's Award
2025
– Present
Reviewer
The Mathematical Gazette

Conferences & Workshops (selected)

2025
Changing the Face of Science Symposium
Imperial College London
Talk: MVN NGBoost for Ocean Surface Current Prediction
2024
US CLIVAR Ocean Uncertainty Quantification Summer School
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami, Florida
Awarded a highly competitive, fully funded place.
2024
SIAM UKIE Annual Meeting
University of Manchester
Poster and presentation; Awarded SIAM UKIE Student Travel Award
2024
CLASS Ocean Modelling Workshop
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton · Fully funded
Awarded prize for Lagrangian particle tracking results
2024
Uncertainty Quantification Workshop
National Physical Laboratory

Skills

Programming
Python (Primary) NumPy Pandas PyTorch SciPy Matplotlib Fortran Mathematica MATLAB JavaScript
ML & Statistics
Probabilistic regression Natural Gradient Boosting Gaussian processes Bayesian inference Time-series analysis Neural networks Model calibration Spatiotemporal interpolation
Communication
Public speaking Science writing Science poetry LaTeX Graphic design Video production
Computing
HPC Parallel programming Git Unit testing

Professional Memberships

Royal Statistical Society (RSS) Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) Challenger Society for Marine Science