The Council of the Royal Society of NSW warmly congratulates one of its Fellows, Payne-Scott Professor Nalini Joshi AO FRSN FAA of the University of Sydney, on being jointly awarded the George Szekeres Medal of the Australian Mathematical Society in 2020. The George Szekeres Medal, which recognises an “outstanding contribution to the mathematical sciences”, is the most senior award of the Australian Mathematical Society. Professor Joshi was awarded the medal jointly with Professor Ole Warnaar of the University of Queensland.

Professor Joshi is a world leader in the theory and applications of differential equations, contributing mathematical results that have impact in fields as diverse as particle physics, quantum mechanics, large prime-number distributions, and wireless communications. Her distinguished research record has led to numerous awards, including becoming the 150th Anniversary Hardy Fellow of the London Mathematical Society in 2015.

Professor Joshi’s contribution to the Australian and international mathematical community has been outstanding. She has served as a member of the Prime Minister’s Commonwealth Science Council (2014–2018), a member of the Science in Australia Gender Equity Expert Advisory Group (2016–2018), and is currently the first Australian Vice-President of the International Mathematical Union (2019-2022). She was the first mathematician to be awarded a Georgina Sweet ARC Laureate Fellowship (2012-2016). Nalini promotes mathematics to government and the wider community, and her work on creation of the SAGE initiative has resulted in influential actions and impact across the nation. Nalini has written over 100 peer-reviewed papers together with authored and edited monographs. Her outstanding contribution to mathematics is confirmed by numerous awards and positions.

To read further about her work in differntial equations and the official citation, please see the AustMS website.