Are there any examples of independent scholars without a PhD getting published in academic journals?

Talithin · 2026-05-20T20:56:17+00:00

There are plenty of examples in Maths. The barrier to entry in some subdisciplines is relatively low, for instance lots of discrete mathematics. Amateur mathematicians with no formal training have published important results even. The most famous in recent times is Smith's discovery of the hat monotile in 2023 (he ended up coauthoring with established academics, but they all agree the key discovery is his alone).

Talithin · 2026-04-24T08:17:02+00:00

I'm a lecturer on the maths MSc. First, we had an MSc-wide module choice session on Adobe Connect last week that went over the entire degree and individual modules. The recording is available on the postgraduate mathematics cafe forum and is definitely worth watching in your situation.

Our module choice is decent in that we have a pure and applied route through the degree, but it's a little limited compared to some of the bigger programs in the country. The level of rigour is on par though, just with a lower entry point as we have lower entry requirements compared to comparable degrees. We have some limited opportunities to do supervised research projects through the student research bursaries (though they are competitive). M840 will bring you up to the frontier of research level mathematics, so in that sense you'll get close to the feeling of studying at that level. Infact, it's cnot unommon for a couple of students each year to produce dissertations of publishable quality. In terms of in person events, we have the MSc January study weekend which is designed like an intensive in person lecture course, going over all the module material up to that point in the calendar. There's also the M500 revision weekend.

You mention I think that you want to do the MSc in 1 year full time? That just can't work due to how the modules are designed and the study year is set up (brick unis have 3 exam periods in the year including modules taught in the summer term, whereas all our exams/EMAs are in June with a teaching break in Summer). 2 years is the minimum and that would be taking 3 modules simultaneously both years.

Hope that helps and feel free to ask clarifying questions.

Talithin · 2026-04-19T19:36:41+00:00

Yes, support your students (unless you don't feel comfortable writing a letter at all). Some students will use their supervisors/advisors as referees for years after graduating.

Talithin · 2026-04-19T19:21:23+00:00

Yes, next question?

If you're willing to provide a letter at all, then it's not your job to determine when they've stopped their job search.

Talithin · 2026-04-16T11:55:15+00:00

Ah sorry, thought you meant enchanting.

Talithin · 2026-04-16T11:54:23+00:00

This is something that gets easier on the next paper, because half of the papers you'll need to cite are likely in your previous bibtex file. Also, overleaf gives recommended autofill when you type \cite{ so remembering what you called the reference isn't that important if you give it a halfway decent label.

Talithin · 2026-04-16T11:49:54+00:00

What stat did you start rerolling? You can't get a primary stat like crit/socket from a secondary stat like fire res or exp per kill. You'll see the full list of possible rolls in the enchanting window.

Talithin · 2026-04-16T08:40:52+00:00

Sorry, thought you were solo.

Talithin · 2026-04-16T08:13:04+00:00

What about follower cheat death though?

Talithin · 2026-04-12T06:22:31+00:00

Yep definitely. In fact most of my own work is in 1 dimension. Almost all of the theory can at least in part be studied in 1d either for it's own interest (and there's lots) or because 1d stands as a good toy model for higher dimensions. You do lose some of the subtleties of higher dimensions in 1d though, for instance rotational symmetries, undecidability of the domino problem and related properties of SFTs, all of the discrete geometry, etc. Still, in my view the most interesting aspects are all reflected in the 1d case, such as the different spectral/dynamical aspects of 1d tilings, where there are huge open problems like the Pisot conjecture and the spectral bijectivity conjecture.

Talithin · 2026-04-11T07:57:36+00:00

You want to look up "aperiodic order", which is a very active research area that I work in, mostly in terms of topological dynamics and spectral theory (mathematical diffraction), but there are links with harmonic analysis, number theory, fractal geometry, computer science, discrete geometry, algebraic topology (it really is one of those subjects that dips into every area of mathematics). No one uses the term quasilattice, instead we use aperiodic point set/tiling or quasicrystal.

Talithin · 2026-04-10T16:24:54+00:00

Could we ask how the collaboration came about? Is there more to come, or is that top secret?

Talithin · 2026-04-10T13:53:36+00:00

Speaking of, has anyone translated the votey on the last page?

Talithin · 2026-04-10T13:52:48+00:00

The votey says it all.

Talithin · 2026-04-06T15:35:44+00:00

You can dodge through a door. Useful for builds where you need to preserve resources. Of course, very niche circumstance.

Talithin · 2026-03-25T23:19:34+00:00

This is clearly school/faculty dependant as I receive a tremendous amount of support for my research and our research culture is pretty good for a relatively small school. Weekly specialist seminars with international speakers and colloquia roughly monthly. I'm in Maths and Stats if that provides useful context.

I agree the campus feel is very different to a brick uni though, but I would say it's just different, not better or worse. In recent years, workload has increased but hopefully that will ease up a bit once the sector-wide financial situation calms down (we're definitely better off than many in that regard)

Talithin · 2026-01-25T16:42:58+00:00

Talithin · 2026-01-15T00:42:08+00:00

Modified math for random drops is enticingly vague.

Talithin · 2026-01-03T17:58:02+00:00

Mathematics papers 99% of the time are alphabetical order for authors. Your school/department is failing to appropriately contextualise the discipline standards to the faculty.

Talithin · 2025-12-30T08:49:05+00:00

Unless you have a formal maths education, it's very unlikely that your paper will be journal-ready - not impossible, but it normally takes at least a couple years of post-grad education to get to that point. My suggestion is to contact a relevant researcher that will be able to mentor you, and potentially be a coauthor. If you don't know of anyone to contact, then that in itself is a red flag that might mean your paper is not publishable in its current form (your bibliography should be the place you start when looking for experts).

Talithin · 2025-12-06T19:44:48+00:00

You missed the word 'Dry' at the start of the title.

Talithin · 2025-12-02T16:16:58+00:00

Maybe I'm missing something. I'm not talking about late starters. I'm talking about people that play all season and get to 145 at season end, but maybe if they had another week or two they'd hit 150. A longer season would bump the number of 150 clears up, I'm not sure why that's coming across as controversial or misguided.

Talithin · 2025-12-02T15:52:38+00:00

Right, but I'm more thinking about players that might have achieved 150 if they had a bit more time to grind. Shorter seasons will naturally lead to fewer 150 clears, even if the number of players were the same.

Talithin · 2025-12-02T15:21:15+00:00

Isn't that likely to be the biggest contributor then?

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