Our Department

Mathematics is often described as the foundation of various scientific studies.Because of its traditional and fundamental nature familiar to us, mathematical study is usually considered as an academic discipline based on the past achievements. Indeed, mathematics does have a long rich history.At the same time, however, it continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. A number of academic journals are published and revamped every year, and research conferences and seminars in the field are held all throughout the year around the globe to bring together researchers from all around the world.

With rapid advancements witnessed in various fields of science, the scientific community is always hungry for new types of mathematics. Conversely, breakthroughs in mathematics itself are contributing to new perspectives on other scientific disciplines. Many new fields of mathematics have been born from attempts to solve particular phenomena by formalizing them with mathematical expressions. This dynamics is exemplified in the relationship between the evolution of Modern Physics and the emergence of new mathematical approaches, such as Functional Analysis, Differential Geometry, Differential Equations, Topology, Algebraic Geometry, Algebraic Analysis, Probability Theory, and Dynamical Systems. In the inception, such new approaches are often unsophisticated and we believe the very efforts to seek greater sophistication and define essential elements in the theories through mathematical formalization have led to the overall progress of mathematics as a whole.

The Department of Mathematics at Hokkaido University preserves this spirit, covering a wide range of research areas --- from theory-driven approaches that mainly seek to achieve theoretical sophistication, such as Number Theory, to more empirically-oriented approaches that employ computers for calculations of various phenomena. Our diverse curriculum also includes what is known as Mathematical Sciences.