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The United Kingdom has three main professional organisations representing mathematicians and statisticians.

The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications is the professional and learned society for qualified and practising mathematicians. Its more than 5,000 members work in industry, commerce, the public sector, and education. Founded in 1964, the Institute now has over 5,000 members, of whom 40% are employed in education and the 60% work in commercial and governmental organisations.

The London Mathematical Society, founded in 1865, is the UK’s learned society for Mathematics.  It is an independent and self-financing charity concerned with the promotion and extension of all branches of mathematics and its applications. It organises meetings, publishes periodicals and books, awards grants, and contributes to public debates on issues related to mathematics. It has a membership of over 2600 drawn from all parts of the UK and overseas.

The Royal Statistical Society provides a forum for all who are interested in statistics. Founded in 1834, it is a learned and professional society, with some 7,200 members based in the United Kingdom and overseas. About 1,500 of these members are professionally qualified, as either Chartered or Graduate Statisticians. The purpose of the Society is to develop, foster and disseminate statistical knowledge, methodology and good practice for the benefit of all society.

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Being a professional mathematician (Download audio)
Executive director David Youdan tells us about the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.