Survival guide for mathematicians (EiM 7)

Speaker: Maurice Chiodo, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Series: C.U. Ethics in Mathematics Society (CUEiMS)

Mathematicians eventually form part of the workforce, facing the same workplace interactions, issues, conflicts and pressures that arise in all other professions, and needing to know how to deal with these. Yet their focused and dedicated nature, enhanced by the training they receive, might make it easy to overlook instances of others trying to exploit or manipulate them into producing harmful work. This lecture looks at how mathematicians can be susceptible to factors such as false choice, workplace pressure, intentional manipulation, and social conformity. It shows how they can start to identify such situations, and provides insight and empowerment to protect themselves, and their work, against these harmful influences.

This is the seventh seminar of the 2026 Introduction to Ethics in Mathematics seminar series hosted by the CU Ethics in Mathematics Society. The lecture will be followed by discussion.