The Piscopia Initiative – a community for women and underrepresented genders in mathematics
Location: University of Edinburgh, Bayes Centre
Date: Wednesday 2nd – Thursday 3rd September 2026
The Piscopia Initiative invites you to our 6th anniversary PiFORUM conference, hosted at the University of Edinburgh.
We welcome everyone to attend including undergraduates, postgraduate students considering a PhD, PhD students, postdocs and early career researchers. It’s a great opportunity for anyone to gain experience presenting their research, be inspired by current PhD work, find out more about doing a PhD and life after a PhD! You can also expect fun social activities, a poster session, interactive talks and prizes.
This year, we are excited to include a mental health symposium, with speakers Ashleigh Ratcliffe (PhD student at the University of Leicester and Piscopia Co-lead) and Jenny Power (Innovation Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University).
You can have a look at last year’s webpage to find out more about what PiFORUM is.
Testimonials from PiFORUM25 Attendees
“I learnt a lot about how to get into research/PhDs and summer research internships that are available to me – including meeting people who had completed these. Where to find out about these programmes.”
“Mock interviews were amazing and so was the careers talk. Loved the diverse mathematician posters in the quiet room. Great opportunity for people to give early career presentations in a less intimidating atmosphere.”
“The research talks were great! The atmosphere was super welcoming and I really lived the ample social and networking time.”
“”It was very well run, and has a brilliantly friendly and supportive atmosphere. Really fascinating to hear from people who have built different kinds of careers in maths.”
“The research talks were great! The atmosphere was super welcoming and I really lived the ample social and networking time.”
“[I gained an] increased sense of belonging in the mathematical community”
Thank you to our sponsors
We are grateful for the financial support from the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research (HIMR) and the UKRI/EPSRC Additional Funding Programme for Mathematical Science
Page last updated: 30/04/2026
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