S11E2: Mathematics, or, the pursuit of perfection in an imperfect world, with Saurabh

About this episode

In this special Golden Jubilee episode, Saurabh shares his academic journey as a mathematician and discusses the philosophical aspects of mathematics and teaching.

This is Desi Academia Podcast's Golden Jubilee, and we are so glad you have been with us on this journey! For this special episode, we bring on friend of the podcast Saurabh, and talk to him about his academic journey as a mathematician. He takes us through his remarkable journey as a researcher in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Israel, and Switzerland. Saurabh tells us about what it mean to “encounter infinity” through mathematics, what is it like to understand the world by asking ‘if this certainty was weakened, would the theorem still hold true’, and what it's like to ask great questions without thinking about applications. We talk about how Saurabh found his passion for teaching, his pivot to industry, his experiences with the political realities of all the places he inhabited, and how he finds joy in his work. Recommendations: Saurabh Book: Everybody Loves a Good Drought The Wire Powder Capernaum El secreto de sus ojos Argentina 1985 “ AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself ” “ AI may upend online studies critical to social science ” Vatsal What Noam Chomsky’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein says about progressive politics Megh Pleurebis Ted Lasso Humans in the…

People in this episode

Guest: Saurabh

Topics covered

• mathematics
• academic journey
• research
• teaching
• industry
• political realities
• infinity

Keywords

• mathematics
• academic journey
• infinity
• research
• teaching
• politics
• industry

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Everybody Loves a Good Drought, The Wire, Capernaum, El secreto de sus ojos, Argentina 1985, AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself, AI may upend online studies critical to social science, Ted Lasso, Humans in the Loop

Places: Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Israel, Switzerland

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