Imperial hosts annual research project finale for Imperial Maths School Year 12 students

Students from the Imperial Maths School have shared and presented their learning from a six-month long programme of collaborative mathematical research projects.

Imperial recently welcomed the students and staff of Imperial Maths School for their annual Research Project Presentation Day and Finale.

The Imperial Maths School is a specialist sixth-form maths school in north London, run in partnership with Imperial and the Frontier Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust which also includes Woodhouse College.

Upon beginning their studies at the school in September 2025, the Year 12 cohort were divided into small groups and each assigned a mentor from academia or industry who would set a project in their area of expertise with a mathematical theme for the group to consider. The mentor then guided the group through the project lifecycle, working towards a final report, poster and group presentation at the finale event.

David Lee, Headteacher of the Imperial Maths School said: “These research projects and presentations give our students an exceptional opportunity to work with experts in their fields in a way that closely mirrors university-level academic research, but at a much earlier stage in their education. They are grappling with ideas beyond the traditional curriculum, without a predetermined end point, while developing crucial skills in collaboration, presentation and long-term project management. It’s fantastic to see them presenting to parents, academics and fellow students in the Imperial setting, and confidently defending their work.”

Among the senior Imperial colleagues present on the day was Professor Jason Riley, who said: "It is fantastic to see the partnership between Imperial and the school developing and deepening year on year. This event demonstrates the benefits of universities and schools working in partnership to deliver excellent educational experiences.

I was impressed by the project outputs of the school’s clearly very capable cohort of students, which bodes well for the development of the pipeline of skilled young mathematicians, engineers and scientists Professor Jason Riley Vice Dean (Education), Faculty of Engineering

I was impressed by the project outputs of the school’s clearly very capable cohort of students, which bodes well for the development of the pipeline of skilled young mathematicians, engineers and scientists."

Project mentors included Dr Phil Ramsden and Dr Sam Brzezicki, both from Imperial’s Department of Mathematics. Mentors also included other Imperial academics, Imperial PhD students, academics from other institutions and industry experts.

The finale event itself saw students and their families, along with colleagues from Imperial and the Frontier Learning Trust, attend a reception in the Royal School of Mines on Imperial’s South Kensington campus, followed by presentations by the groups of students. Audience members had the opportunity to ask questions after the presentations, whose topics included Big Atlas Data, Approximation Theory, How to Steer a Satellite and Digitisation of Radar Signals.

Andrew Tebbutt, Director of Outreach at Imperial said: "The Research Project Finale has already become an annual highlight showcasing the exceptional talent and effort of the Maths Schools students as well as the deep collaborative relationship between Imperial and the Imperial Maths School.”

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a mentor for a group research project or know of anybody outside of Imperial in a relevant industry, please get in touch with Savannah Hersov Sassoon in Imperial’s Outreach team.

Article written by James Tilley, Operations and Projects Manager, Marketing, Outreach, Recruitment and Admissions