Discourse: Mathematical tools to transform the world – with Becky Shipley

Mathematics is a powerful tool to understand the world around us. It can model the physics, chemistry and biology of a wide variety of systems. But it can also be used to make predictions that can feed into technology, manufacturing and engineering across an array of fields. This Discourse was filmed at the Royal Institution on the 30th January 2026. In our first Discourse of 2026, mathematician and expert in computational modelling Becky Shipley explores how mathematics is inspiring new advances across engineering industries. Drawing on her experience in healthcare, she'll visit case studies showing how mathematical problem-solving is improving diagnosis, treatment and patient experience, alongside the newest applications of mathematics. Discover how multidisciplinary engineering principles led to the rapid development of novel medical devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to an internationally recognised team led by Becky herself. Rebecca Shipley is Professor of Healthcare Engineering at University College London and Chief Research Officer at UCLPartners, where her research focusses on modelling techniques to understand tissue function and predict physiology. She is Co-Director of CHIMERA, a research centre focussed on multidisciplinary development of data-driven models for intensive care. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for her role during the COVID-19 pandemic in designing and manufacturing non-invasive breathing aids for people with the disease. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science Listen to the Ri podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: https://www.rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.