In this episode of 'Cancelled Voices' we meet John Armstrong, a Reader in Financial Mathematics at King’s College London. In this interview with CAF, John discusses a range of pressing issues in academia today, from the imposition of political agendas on mathematics education to the broader threats to academic freedom.
Highlights include:
• Diversity and Inclusion in Education: John shares his commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for all students and the challenges faced in achieving this goal.
• Political Agendas in Mathematics: An in-depth look at the controversial push for teaching mathematics from a decolonized perspective and John’s response to such initiatives.
• Academic Freedom: The threats posed by politically motivated ideas and postmodern philosophies in education, and the impact on curricula.
• Research Ethics and Censorship: John’s personal experience with research ethics committees and the difficulties encountered in conducting unbiased research on sensitive topics.
• Athena SWAN Scheme Analysis: A critical examination of the Athena SWAN initiative and its effectiveness in improving the representation of women in STEM leadership roles.
• Publication Challenges: The obstacles faced in publishing research that challenges prevailing political norms, illustrated by John’s experience with the BMJ Open journal.
To learn more about CAF's activity, please visit: https://afcomm.org.uk/
To see more episodes of our 'Canceled Voices' serie, please visit: https://afcomm.org.uk/cancelled-voices/