About the CMP Programme
The Cambridge Mathematics Placements (CMP) programme connects undergraduate and Master’s students in Cambridge with hosts in industry, the public sector, and other university departments. Hosts engage with talented mathematicians to tackle research questions, frequently leading to real impact in the field. Students gain experience in conducting research outside the lecture room, and develop invaluable transferable skills. We aim to build a community with knowledge across disciplines through this network of hosts, students, and the Mathematics Faculty.
In summer 2023, the programme facilitated 14 academic and 14 industry placements. Our hosts report many successes: new projects were kickstarted, several publications are planned and new software was developed. We expect that the summer 2024 program will once again be a worthwhile experience for hosts and students alike.
Highlights of CMP for Industrial Hosts
- Propose an 8 to 10-week summer project for a Maths student (on host site, remote, or hybrid). There is a high degree of freedom to propose both well-founded and speculative projects.
- Pitch projects at the CMP Lunchtime Seminar series and select students for placements. Seminars are usually held in person, but we can also facilitate Zoom presentations where there is a need.
- The programme is primarily aimed at students who have just completed their Master’s degree (Part III), but is open to second and third year undergraduate students as well. Hosts can specify which year groups their project is open to.
- Projects tackle research challenges, provide new approaches to solving problems, and bridge gaps in mathematical expertise.
- Interact with a maths-focussed research community comprising the Mathematics Faculty, other University departments, public sector organisations and industrial partners.
- Meet academic mathematicians and develop relationships that may lead to research collaborations.
- Attend the CMP Presentation Day to hear other host / student placement experiences and approaches, followed by dinner at a Cambridge college.
- Participate in the CMP Annual General Meeting to review and help fine tune the programme.
- There is no charge for listing a project with CMP, though there is now a registration fee of £600 (+VAT) for each student successfully recruited to your project. Regretfully, this new charge has become necessary to help offset the running costs of the programme.
Key Dates for 2024 (more details in the attached Fact Sheet)
- 31 January 2024: Closing date for project proposals. We schedule talks for our lunchtime seminar series in February. Projects received will be posted on the website on a rolling basis and talks scheduled accordingly. We cannot guarantee a seminar slot for projects submitted after 31 January 2024. (please note closing date has been extended from the earlier date given in the Fact Sheet).
- February 2024: Hosts present projects at the CMP lunchtime seminar series (Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1:30-2:30/3:00pm), either live or via pre-recorded talks. This is followed by an informal discussion with interested students.
- 23 February to 8 March 2024: Recommended period for organisations to review applications, interview, and make offers.
- June to September 2024: CMP projects take place.
- 21 August 2024: CMP Presentation Day, networking event and dinner.
- September 2024: Reports and project feedback due.
A Fact Sheet about the 2024 programme and a list of Frequently Asked Questions are attached. Detailed information is available on the CMP webpages:
If you would like to participate, please submit projects via the project proposal form: https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/project-proposal-form.
Please contact CMP@maths.cam.ac.uk with any further enquiries. We are happy to discuss the programme with you.
