A 35-year-old Ghanaian mathematician, Dr. Angela Tabiri, has become the first African to be crowned “The World’s Most Interesting Mathematician” in 2024. As the Academic Manager for the Girls in Mathematical Sciences Programme (GMSP) at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana, Dr. Tabiri is not only a mathematics genius but also a passionate promoter of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Road to Victory
Over the past month, 16 fascinating mathematicians competed in “The Big Internet Math-Off” hosted by The Aperiodical. The competition culminated in a showdown between American mathematician Matt Enlow and Dr. Tabiri, with Dr. Tabiri emerging as the winner.
Dr. Tabiri’s winning pitch captivated audiences with a hands-on activity demonstrating the constancy of Pi (π) and an exploration of prime numbers and the Fibonacci sequence. She showcased intriguing patterns within prime numbers and the golden ratio in nature, revealing how the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter is always π.
Dr. Tabiri, an alumnus of AIMS, is dedicated to nurturing the talents of senior high school girls in Ghana through the GMSP. She is also the organizer of Science Slam Ghana, a science communication event where researchers present their research to a lay audience in engaging ways.
Advocate for STEM Education
Dr. Tabiri is the founder of Femafricmaths, a non-governmental organization promoting female African mathematicians. She interviews “maths queens” on the Femafricmaths YouTube channel to inspire young people about diverse career options in mathematics.
A graduate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) with a postgraduate diploma in mathematics, Dr. Tabiri is a scholar from the University of Glasgow, UK, through the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship. She specializes in abstract mathematics and lectures on mathematics for machine learning.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr. Tabiri shared her journey through the contest and emphasized that mastering mathematics requires effort, constant practice, commitment, and determination. She advised learners to practice regularly, study in groups, and use familiar materials to facilitate understanding.
