This year saw the welcome return to in-person research programs at MATRIX, with 16 events scheduled during 2022 including well-attended PhD symposia. Topics ranging from mathematics of brain structure and function, and cell motility in dynamic environments, to representation theory and structural graph theory emphasise the continued need for MATRIX as a national research infrastructure for all the mathematical sciences.  

With the support of the US based Simons Foundation, we were able to introduce several MATRIX-Simons funding initiatives in 2022 to further enhance international research collaboration. This year MATRIX was also funded by the LIEF scheme of the Australian Research Council which supports research infrastructure, a first for the mathematical sciences.

Our June philanthropic campaign performed above all expectations. We warmly thank all our donors for allowing us to increase support for carers to attend MATRIX programs and enhance opportunities for students and early career researchers. You can read more about the impact of this support in this newsletter.

I am very glad that MATRIX has extended its network of international partnerships and hosted joint workshops with the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO) in Germany, the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS) in Japan and the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Korea. On the domestic front we have enhanced our outreach program through our engagement with the National Science Quiz and the schools program MathsCraft.

To conclude, MATRIX is deeply grateful to our partners, The University of Melbourne, Monash University and The Australian National University who have supported us throughout the pandemic, as well as to our Associate Members, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS) and The University of Queensland. It is no secret that we live in times of financial insecurity, and MATRIX looks forward to extending our national partnership for a prosperous future.

I wish you all an inspiring and productive 2023, and hope to see you soon in person at MATRIX!