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Dr Richard Rankin

Assistant Professor in Applied Mathematics/Statistics


Prior to coming to University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), Richard Rankin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, worked at Rice University in the USA and Federico Santa Maria Technical University in Chile after a stint of work at the University of Strathclyde in the UK where he obtained his PhD. In 2017, he joined UNNC as an Assistant Professor in Applied Mathematics.

Richard is a popular academic in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, receiving positive feedback from students. “In order to help us understand theories, Richard goes into careful detail explaining particular points in class,” one of his students told us.

Richard thinks understanding the logic is more important than memorising the formulas in learning mathematics. Therefore, in class, he tries to guide students to derive formulas by themselves to understand the logic. When asked about the differences between UNNC students and students that he has taught in other countries, Richard told us that UNNC students work very hard, but he also found out that some students are too shy to ask questions in class.

He also always reminds students that “If you don’t understand something, you can ask anytime. It is better to get things wrong and then learn from your mistakes before the exam.” Another reason why Richard thinks that students should interact more in class is to practice their English. He believes that if they plan to go to an English-speaking country for further study, they should take further steps to practice at UNNC before.

Born in the hospital opposite the Mathematics Department in Strathclyde, there is a deep relationship between him and the subject. “My grandpa was a professor in mathematics and I have been told it is in my blood. In high school, mathematics was the subject that made the most sense to me” he said.

Richard has worked towards improving gender equality within higher education and research. He knows that some Chinese parents think only smart people can learn mathematics and boys are smarter than girls, but that is not the case and this is demonstrated clearly at UNNC.

“Many of the top mathematics students are girls. Both boys and girls can be good at mathematics,” Richard said. Moreover, when asked which is more important, being smart or work hard, Richard said both are important but that it depends on what is meant by being smart. “Less intelligent students can do better than more intelligent ones because of the amount of work that they put in and where they concentrate their efforts.”

In addition to mathematical methods and logical thinking, mathematics students can acquire solid skills such as computer programming during the four years of university because many calculations cannot be done in practice without computers. So, students will always be able to find an area they are good at or enjoy.
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Mathematics can also help students explore their talents and decide their future direction. Richard said that the range of career paths available to mathematics and statistics students is very broad.

He likes the University and the beautiful scenery on campus. He welcomes all candidates to apply to study at the UNNC’s Mathematical Sciences department.