About
We Solve Problems is an educational non-profit organisation (charity registration no. 1171037 in England and Wales, no. SC054284 in Scotland), founded by three enthusiasts, all of whom have personal experience of studying in Maths Circles and a PhD degree in Mathematics.
Contents
Goals & Mission
Our aim is to provide weekly training (Maths Circles) for the secondary school pupils and organise maths competitions (Maths Battles) among UK schools. Both are aimed to encourage creative mathematical thinking and to develop a skill in communicating mathematical ideas. One can consider the Maths Battles as an analogue of debate competitions but within the mathematical context.
Our mission is to make advanced mathematics more popular through the network of self sustaining Maths Circles and establish a Maths Battle League among the secondary schools of the UK.
Trustees
Amir Aliev
Amir Aliev is a graduate of Moscow State University, majoring in Mathematics and later defending his PhD in Probability Theory. He is a partner at a high-frequency trading firm, where he heads the research in developing statistical models of the financial markets, and algorithms that trade automatically using those models.
As a student at one of the top schools in Moscow he experienced first-hand various innovative approaches to mathematical education, including maths battles. He was a multiple times winner of Moscow Mathematical Olympiad and represented Moscow in All-Russian Mathematical Competition.
Elena Boguslavskaya
Elena Boguslavskaya is a mathematician working in probability theory. She was exposed to mathematical education in Russia since her teens, initially as a student of a specialised maths school in Moscow, and later at the department of mathematics in Moscow State University. Elena did her PhD in Mathematics at the University of Amsterdam. At present she is a lecturer at Brunel University London.
Elena is a big enthusiast of extra-curriculum mathematical education, such as maths circles and maths battles. She believes that mathematics is a language in the first place, and it is vital to be exposed to this language through various extracurricular activities at school. By promoting maths battles and maths circles she hopes to encourage mathematical creativity in children and help them to develop a skill in communicating mathematical ideas.
Vassili Philipov
Vassili Philipov is the founder and CEO of an educational science company, MEL Science. Vassili attended a maths school in Saint-Petersburg. He was a bronze medalist at the International Physics Olympiad in 1994. Later he completed his PhD in Mathematics and founded two IT startup companies in the mobile industry. Both of which grew to more than one hundred employees. Vassili lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife and four children.
The Team
Ignat Fialkovskiy
General Manager
Phone: 07469 346565
Ignat Fialkovskiy is a graduate of St Petersburg State University, holding a PhD in Theoretical Physics of University of Sao Paulo, and of St. Petersburg State University.
He combined a successful scientific career (formerly of Federal University of ABC, Brazil) with developing his own start-up companies and commercial projects.
Jan Olucha Fuentes
Head of Curriculum
Jan is a graduate of King’s College London and the University of Cambridge currently pursuing a PhD in Probability Theory. He is passionate about making mathematics a subject for everyone through thoughtful pedagogy. Outside academia, Jan loves to read science fiction novels and explore new coffees.
Darya Shedrina
Curriculum Advisor
Darya is a Bronze medalist of International Mathematical Olympiad herself, sharing her passions between scientific and outreach mathematics.
Robbie Altham
Chief Tutors Officer
Robbie is a recent graduate from the University of Bath, with an MMath degree, specialising in probability, analysis and applied maths. He is also an experienced tutor who is passionate about sharing and encouraging other people to do maths.
Will Langdell
Operations Officer
will.langdell@wesolveproblems.org.uk
Will is a final year Mphys student at Cardiff University interested in medical physics. He is a passionate sailor, and is currently working towards his yatchmaster!
Mattia Cicardi
Operations Officer, kids wellbeing
Devoted 4th year maths student at King’s College London, passionate about kids’ wellbeing.
Ajay Bater
Operations Officer, communications
Student of science communication and part-time maths communicator, with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Bath.
Our Projects
Maths Circles
Maths Circles are maths-enjoying learning sessions of problem solving led by gifted young mathematicians.
Maths Battles
Maths Battles are debate competitions between two teams of students, where they acquire and demonstrate the problem-solving abilities.
Foundation COMPOS
Foundation COMPOS delivers the curriculum of the COMPOS programme (run by the Department of Physics, University of Oxford) to private school students in the UK and students outside the UK.
Maths Problems Database
A comprehensive database of mathematical problems for pupils in secondary school, covering both school curriculum and extra-curricular topics.