This month, CRM researcher
Tim Myers visited Vietnam to attend the
International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) board meeting, hosted by the
Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (VIASM), and to visit Ho Chi Minh University of Science.
The first part of the visit centred on the ICIAM board meeting and workshop in Hanoi. The meeting brought together representatives of major industrial and applied mathematics societies from around the world, with Spain well represented by Ángel Ramos (CUM), President of the Sociedad Española de Matemática Aplicada, Luis Vega (BCAM), ICIAM Officer, and Myers himself representing the European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI). Other European societies also took part, with José Antonio Carrillo attending on behalf of the European Society for Mathematical and Theoretical Biology, and Eduard Campillo-Funollet representing the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications.
Post Board Meeting dinner, from left to right: Prof. Ivete Sánchez Bravo (Secretaria de Vinculación, Sociedad Mexicana de Matematicas), Prof. Suzanne Weekes (CEO, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics), Tim (CRM), Prof. Chang-Ock Lee (President, Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics), Prof. Kenji Kajiwara (Director of the Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI), Japan, Secretary of the Asia Pacific Consortium of Mathematics for Industry).
“By holding prestigious meetings in countries such as Vietnam we acknowledge their role in global mathematics as well as increase their visibility.”
The Workshop on Industrial and Applied Mathematics 2025 took place from September 11 to 12 at VIASM, jointly organised by ICIAM, the Vietnam Mathematical Society (VMS) and VIASM. The scientific programme featured 24 invited lectures by leading experts, covering applications of mathematics in areas as diverse as high-performance computing, nonlinear dynamical systems, water pollution modelling, partial differential equations and dispersive equations, and the role of mathematics in data science, health sciences and large-scale simulation. Alongside these talks, discussion sessions and exchanges fostered connections between Vietnamese researchers and their international counterparts.
The ICIAM board meeting, held the day after the workshop, brought together over 70 delegates from across five continents, representing countries such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, South Africa and Vietnam. Two key decisions were made: Prof. Sven Leyffer (Argonne National Laboratory, USA) was elected as the next ICIAM President, and Busan, South Korea, was selected to host the 2031 ICIAM Congress.
Myers discussing the role of mathematics in society at Ho Chi Min University of Science
Reflecting on the importance of hosting such events in Vietnam, Myers explained: “There is currently a large push to equalise the visibility of mathematics throughout the world. For many reasons, such as publication costs or research funding, Global South countries have a much lower international presence than more affluent countries (in terms of publications, influential researchers, journal editors, etc). By holding prestigious meetings in countries such as Vietnam — the ICIAM Board consists of world-renowned researchers — we acknowledge their role in global mathematics as well as increase their visibility.”
He also highlighted the concrete benefits of these visits: “Visiting academics can interact with policy makers in the local universities or the country. As an invited guest I often meet with university dignitaries to explain the role that mathematics can play in promoting university collaboration with industry. During the ICIAM meeting, Prof. Wil Schilders (ICIAM president), Prof. Hiraku Nakajima (International Mathematics Union president) and Prof. Yukari Ito (president elect of Asian-Oceanian Women in Mathematics) met with the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Văn Phúc.”
After Hanoi, Myers travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, where he was a guest of honour at a meeting to showcase industrial mathematics and study groups with industry. The event included representatives from two companies: FPT, one of Vietnam’s largest IT service providers, and Tatoma, who focus on optimising seafood farming.
Attendees at the HCMUS meeting
Speaking about how such initiatives can take root, Myers stressed the importance of local engagement: “The key is always to find someone, or a group, willing to keep any initiative alive. Visiting international academics can help, but without the local effort, this will not achieve long-term success.” He also underlined the role of students: “They can learn how to apply mathematics to real-world problems, either at study groups or modelling weeks. In the future, if they stay at the university, they have the skill set to understand industrial problems; if they leave and are employed by industry, they provide a vital link to the universities and often bring problems back.”
Vietnam is part of the Global South, a group of countries that face structural challenges related to development and inequality. Hosting events such as the ICIAM board meeting and the Industrial and Applied Mathematics workshop helps promote industrial mathematics in the country’s leading universities, build closer ties with industry, and open up new funding opportunities as well as new mathematical challenges.
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