Profile
Lukas Eigentler
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About Me:
I’m a mathematical biologist at the University of Warwick, which is in Coventry. Outside work, I love cycling and watching football (not playing ☹️).
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I really love cycling because my job means that I’m sitting at a desk for many hours every day. It also helps me to switch off my brain after work and on weekeends. I also love cooking and baking and of course eating. I also like video games (if I have the time!) and mostly play games that involve building civilisations in which you need to optimise things like resource production – I think my math brain shows through there!
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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How I Use Maths In My Job:
Most of my work is solving some complicated equations using a computer. The equations I’m dealing with are way to complicated to solve using pen and paper. Therefore, I need to do a lot of programming to find solutions.
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My Work:
I’m a mathematical biologist working at a university. This means that I use maths to answer questions that biologists are interested in. I do research and teaching.
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For example, I use maths to forecast how desert plants will react to changes in climate. Desert plants grow so slowly and often in the middle of nowhere. This means that doing experiments with desert plants is difficult. Doing maths is a lot easier and cheaper.
I also use maths to describe how different microbes interact with each other in biofilms. Biofilms are slimy things in which bacteria live – you might know them if you’ve ever looked into the drain of your bathroom sink! In biofilms, different microbes may fight with each other, or also work together. I use maths to better understand how fighting impacts how a biofilm looks like.
My teaching varies quite a bit. On some days, I teach topics like calculus to first year students who have just started at universities. On other days, I teach more complicated concepts from mathematical biology to advanced students.
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My Typical Day:
I go to the office straight after breakfast. In my office I think about new equations, write them down, solve them using a computer, and collect results in reports. I also teach university students most days. After work, I really like cycling and cooking.
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I get up quite early in the morning. After breakfast (cereal with milk or yoghurt) I cycle to work and start at 7:30 am. I like working so early because nobody else is around at that time.
On a typical day, I spend a few hours writing down new equations, or writing computer programs to solve equations. Once I’ve solved equations, I look at the outcome and write a report that I can share with others.
I also teach university students on most days. I do this using a mix of presentation slides and old-fashioned blackboard writing. Teaching also involves speaking with students individually and helping them to understand some maths.
Because I start my day so early, I go home between 3-4pm. In summer, I often go cycling after work.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would make some cool Youtube videos to explain my work to non-scientists.
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Education:
I went to school in Austria, where I was born. I moved to Scotland to do an undergraduate degree in Dundee, and then did a PhD in Edinburgh.
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Qualifications:
In Austria, we don’t have any qualification similar to GCSEs. So my first proper qualification is the Austrian A levels. They are called “Matura”, through which you show that you’re “mature” and can leave school.
I then moved to Scotland and got a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Dundee. I really liked both Scotland and maths, and therefore did a PhD in Mathematics in Edinburgh.
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Work History:
After my PhD, I spent 3 years working in a microbiology lab in Dundee. I was the only mathematican in the whole lab, which made it super interesting.
I then spent 1 year in a German town called Bielefeld (google it and you may find people asking questions about whether the city even exists!). There, I worked again in a biology lab at the university.
I then moved back to the UK and am now working at the University of Warwick in Coventry.
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Current Job:
I’m an assistant professor. This job title is a bit weird because I’m not assisting anyone. I spend most of my time doing research and teaching.
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Employer:
I work at the University of Warwick. If you think that the university is in the town called Warwick, you’re wrong. It’s in Coventry!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
mathematician biologist hybrid
What did you want to be after you left school?
a scientist (not lying - never wanted to do anything else!)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
no comment 😂
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
buy a farm, grow my own vegetables, keep a few animals
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I know this sounds weird, but I don't have any...
What's your favourite food?
Pasta!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
be better at mental arithmetic; be faster at reading and understanding stuff; have more endurance when cycling
Tell us a joke.
What is faster than a calculator? A calcuNOW....(sorry, very bad joke :()
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