Places available per year across Maths and joint courses
Maths and Philosophy
Why Pembroke?
Maths and Philosophy is a joint honours degree, bringing together the logic and thought of Philosophy with that of Mathematics. At Pembroke we have a large number of students on courses including Maths or Philosophy, creating a community where members support each other.
Pembroke has a large team of senior academics who tutor on this course, including Professor Guy Kahane (Philosophy) and Professor Damian Rossler (Pure Maths). The Tutors at Pembroke are not only experienced in teaching, but also engage in research and writing activities in their fields of expertise.
What extra activities are on offer?
The maths society meets twice a term and offers engaging talks by guest speakers about the real-life application of mathematics. It also provides the unique opportunity to network with experts in a range of fields. Meanwhile, the philosophy team organise a talk from a prominent philosopher once per term and there is a reading group which meets regularly. Students studying our joint degrees benefit from both sets of subject activities.
Could you be right for Maths & Philosophy at Pembroke?
For the maths element of the course you need a real interest in the subject, coupled with a deep passion for abstract concepts and on the philosophy side an ability to think clearly, reason and engage in structured arguments is key.
If you are considering this course, please attend an open day where you can meet our tutors and students and find out more. This is the best way to get a feel for whether you should make an application. We look forward to meeting you!
The Rokos Internship Scheme provides full funding for academic summer internships.
Pembroke non-finalist STEM students are eligible for up to £1,000 funding for summer internships, allowing them to gain hands-on research experience. The award covers all academic and living expenses, including accommodation.
Below are some reports from Pembroke students who have used the award in past few years.

Charlie Pugh (2018, MMathPhil Mathematics and Philosophy)
With the Rokos Award, Charlie took part in a research project supervised by Prof. Helen Byrne. Charlie shares: "...with much help from John Nardini, I have attempted to apply methods from Topological Data Analysis (TDA) to hand segmented images of retinal vasculature. This is a form of data analysis which tries to capture and use the ‘shape’ of data, by studying features such as the number of connected components and the loops in a surface created from the data.... I am very grateful to Pembroke and the generous Rokos funding for providing this opportunity."

Semu Serunjogi
Semu used the Rokos Award during summer 2022 to work with Pembroke tutor Professor Raphael Hauser in order to generalise an algorithm for handling data dimension-reduction which Professor Hauser and his collaborators, Dr Armin Eftekhari and Andreas Grammenos, had developed.
Semu shares: "This internship was a very enjoyable and educational experience for me. I enjoyed learning about the MOSES algorithm and coming up with a variation of it. Having never done any form of mathematical research before, the internship tested a new range of skills for me. The work forced me to persevere when I was unsure how to analyse the Time-Dependent MOSES, and I was encouraged to think creatively to come up with a solution. I am grateful for this welcome introduction to the world of mathematical research."
Pembroke Philosophers are eligible for £100 of funding in their first year and another £100 in their final year towards the cost of books for their course for personal use. This is claimed from the librarian.
Meet Our Academics
Places available per year across Maths and joint courses
Maths and Philosophy
Why Pembroke?
Maths and Philosophy is a joint honours degree, bringing together the logic and thought of Philosophy with that of Mathematics. At Pembroke we have a large number of students on courses including Maths or Philosophy, creating a community where members support each other.
Pembroke has a large team of senior academics who tutor on this course, including Professor Guy Kahane (Philosophy) and Professor Damian Rossler (Pure Maths). The Tutors at Pembroke are not only experienced in teaching, but also engage in research and writing activities in their fields of expertise.
What extra activities are on offer?
The maths society meets twice a term and offers engaging talks by guest speakers about the real-life application of mathematics. It also provides the unique opportunity to network with experts in a range of fields. Meanwhile, the philosophy team organise a talk from a prominent philosopher once per term and there is a reading group which meets regularly. Students studying our joint degrees benefit from both sets of subject activities.
Could you be right for Maths & Philosophy at Pembroke?
For the maths element of the course you need a real interest in the subject, coupled with a deep passion for abstract concepts and on the philosophy side an ability to think clearly, reason and engage in structured arguments is key.
If you are considering this course, please attend an open day where you can meet our tutors and students and find out more. This is the best way to get a feel for whether you should make an application. We look forward to meeting you!
The Rokos Internship Scheme provides full funding for academic summer internships.
Pembroke non-finalist STEM students are eligible for up to £1,000 funding for summer internships, allowing them to gain hands-on research experience. The award covers all academic and living expenses, including accommodation.
Below are some reports from Pembroke students who have used the award in past few years.

Charlie Pugh (2018, MMathPhil Mathematics and Philosophy)
With the Rokos Award, Charlie took part in a research project supervised by Prof. Helen Byrne. Charlie shares: "...with much help from John Nardini, I have attempted to apply methods from Topological Data Analysis (TDA) to hand segmented images of retinal vasculature. This is a form of data analysis which tries to capture and use the ‘shape’ of data, by studying features such as the number of connected components and the loops in a surface created from the data.... I am very grateful to Pembroke and the generous Rokos funding for providing this opportunity."

Semu Serunjogi
Semu used the Rokos Award during summer 2022 to work with Pembroke tutor Professor Raphael Hauser in order to generalise an algorithm for handling data dimension-reduction which Professor Hauser and his collaborators, Dr Armin Eftekhari and Andreas Grammenos, had developed.
Semu shares: "This internship was a very enjoyable and educational experience for me. I enjoyed learning about the MOSES algorithm and coming up with a variation of it. Having never done any form of mathematical research before, the internship tested a new range of skills for me. The work forced me to persevere when I was unsure how to analyse the Time-Dependent MOSES, and I was encouraged to think creatively to come up with a solution. I am grateful for this welcome introduction to the world of mathematical research."
Pembroke Philosophers are eligible for £100 of funding in their first year and another £100 in their final year towards the cost of books for their course for personal use. This is claimed from the librarian.