In academia, a large part of a researcher’s work consists of securing funding and turning that funding into knowledge, which often concerns the creation of new mathematical tools and concepts. Watching this transformation take place is exhilarating. The creation of knowledge has immeasurable intellectual and scientific value.
In industry, research focuses primarily on engineering mathematical concepts, with a strong emphasis on algorithms and optimization. Much of the work consists in turning mathematical knowledge into technological opportunities. This is no easy task: it requires a thorough knowledge of the available mathematical toolkit, including tools that have yet to be developed, as well as of technological developments and the problems and opportunities they bring.
This calls for an ongoing dialogue with academia, even though the two worlds speak very different languages. In a perfect world, a virtuous circle would lead from funding to knowledge, then from knowledge to technological breakthroughs that would fund research leading to new knowledge. Although it does not always work this way, a viable ecosystem must ensure that this goal is ultimately achieved. Large companies are beginning to understand that they cannot survive in the long term without funding fundamental research in academia.
