Student Stories

During her undergraduate studies, Nandini founded the ERA fellowship, a non-profit uniting early-career researchers from over 10 countries to address global challenges such as AI safety and governance. Since 2021 she has raised more than £2.5m in philanthropic funding to lead ERA.

How did attending King’s Maths School help you?
“King’s Maths School was one of the best times of my life intellectually. The culture set a bar for curiosity and love of learning that’s hard to match anywhere else. The mentorship I received from teachers reinforced my commitment to empowering others in turn.”

Tell us about your studies at Cambridge.
“I pursued a triple specialisation across Information and Computer Engineering, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, and Bioengineering. For my Master’s thesis, I explored how the brain could approximate Bayesian inference to recognise visual stimuli — a foundational question in computational neuroscience.”

What’s next?
“I am likely to pursue a PhD at the intersection of computational neuroscience and AI, with the aim of developing insights into reasoning and planning that can inform safer AI systems. My ambition is to contribute to society’s resilience in the face of rapid technological change.”

After graduating, Eito founded GatlingX, a startup developing the world’s fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) implementation, and has raised $2.1m in venture funding.

How did King’s Maths School help you?
“It gave me an environment where people cared about excellence. Being surrounded by brilliant peers pushed me to raise my game. At King’s, no one made fun of you for working hard — everyone was inspired to do more.”

What about Oxford?
“Oxford gave me breadth and a network. Meeting people who were exceptional in their own niche humbled and inspired me.”

Why start GatlingX?
“Companies lose billions to hacking. We build AI tools for offensive security that help organisations defend against attack. Being young makes risk-taking easier — I thought, why not now?”

Maksym achieved excellent results and secured a place to study Mathematics at Cambridge.

How did you come to Exeter Mathematics School?
“My host in the UK knew a teacher at Exeter, which led to a visit, an interview and an offer. It was an incredible opportunity after leaving Kharkiv.”

What stood out for you?
“The teachers were so friendly and supportive. They adjusted material to my level when I had already studied topics in Ukraine, ensuring I was always engaged and challenged. They made me a better mathematician.”

What’s next?
“I’m excited to start at Cambridge and would like to become a professional mathematician, exploring the connections between maths and physics.”

Estelle combined her degree with part-time work in vertical farming technology, and is now beginning a PhD with the Turing Institute and Wellcome Trust to apply big data methods to global health challenges.

How did King’s Maths School help you?
“It let me embrace maths while not being defined by it alone. I chaired the school council and joined societies beyond maths, which gave space for many kinds of mathematicians to thrive.”

What about Edinburgh?
“My degree focused on differential equations, statistics and machine learning, with additional modules in AI ethics and sustainability. That led to work with Intelligent Growth Solutions on computer vision for sustainable farming.”

What are your ambitions?
“My PhD focuses on using big data to tackle diseases that disproportionately affect low-income countries. I’d love my work to help shift global health outcomes.”

Charles and his siblings were the first in their family to attend university. He now works in financial markets as a trader.

How did King’s Maths School help you?
“The culture encouraged us to explore maths far beyond the syllabus, supported equally by peers and teachers. It was about curiosity, not just grades.”

What does the future look like?
“I want to keep progressing in finance, applying the analytical and problem-solving skills developed in my studies and career.”

Theo has built a career in software engineering in the South West, working at startups including Ark and Disco, while co-authoring published research in computer vision.

How did Exeter Maths School help you?
“It gave us the chance to explore the most exciting aspects of maths and physics, even beyond the curriculum. The passion of teachers and peers inspired me to go deeper.”

What about Bristol?
“My dissertation, guided by a leading researcher, resulted in a published paper in computer vision. That gave me great insight into academia.”

What are your ambitions?
“I’ve loved working in early-stage businesses and hope to co-found a company of my own.”