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Indian-origin mathematician Nalini Joshi has been named New South Wales’ Scientist of the Year, becoming the first mathematician to receive the state’s top science honour in Australia. The recognition highlights her pioneering work in applied mathematics and its growing importance in addressing complex scientific and technological challenges, from climate modelling to secure digital communications.The award places a spotlight on the often unseen role mathematics plays in modern life, with Joshi’s research helping to shape advances in fields such as fibre-optic technology, nonlinear physics and emerging quantum systems.
Who is Nalini Joshi
Nalini Joshi is a world-leading applied mathematician and a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney, where she currently serves as Chair of Applied Mathematics. She made history as the first woman appointed Professor of Mathematics at the university, a milestone widely seen as a breakthrough for gender representation in Australian academia.Her research is internationally recognised in the field of integrable systems, a branch of mathematics that studies complex nonlinear equations. These equations are essential for describing real-world phenomena that do not behave in simple or predictable ways, including fluid flows, wave motion and optical systems.
Mathematics with real-world impact
Although rooted in theory, Joshi’s work has had wide practical influence. Integrable systems play a crucial role in fibre-optic communications, which form the backbone of the internet and global data networks, as well as in climate science, where advanced mathematical models help scientists understand highly sensitive and chaotic environmental systems.Colleagues often note that her research demonstrates how abstract mathematics can drive innovation across disciplines, even when its contributions remain largely invisible to the public.
Securing the quantum future
In recent years, Joshi has increasingly focused on the implications of quantum computing, particularly in the area of cryptography. Cryptography is the science of keeping information secure so that only authorised people can access it. It is what protects online banking, digital payments, emails, messaging apps and government systems by scrambling data into coded forms that are extremely difficult to break.While quantum computers promise major advances in areas such as drug discovery and materials science, they also pose a serious risk to today’s cryptographic systems. Powerful quantum machines could potentially crack many of the encryption methods currently used to protect financial systems and digital infrastructure.Joshi has warned that governments and industries are not sufficiently prepared for this shift. She has highlighted Australia’s limited number of specialists capable of developing post-quantum cryptography, new encryption techniques designed to withstand quantum attacks, and has argued that long-term investment in advanced mathematics is essential.“Mathematics is central to securing our quantum future,” she has said.The New South Wales Scientist of the Year award also acknowledges Joshi’s broader contributions as a leader, mentor and advocate for science. She has been a strong voice for strengthening mathematical education and research capacity, and for recognising mathematics as a foundational discipline that enables progress across science and technology.
