Dr Katherine Tant is an applied mathematician conducting research at the interface between mathematics and industry.  In June 2018, she was awarded a 3 year EPSRC UKRI Innovation fellowship for her work in ultrasonic tomography and was subsequently appointed as a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Strathclyde in May 2019. Her research interests revolve around the modelling of waves in complex materials and using this knowledge to ‘see the unseen’; how can we create images of a solid object’s interior using wave data collected on its surface?  This is a hugely important question throughout many industries, including medical imaging, geophysics and non-destructive testing. Over the years, Katherine has worked closely with a number of companies including Doosan Babcock, EDF, IHI, NPL, NNL, Onscale and Rolls Royce. More information on the work conducted under her Waves, Inverse Problems and Imaging (WiPi) group can be found on the team's webpage.

As a result of her training and experience, Katherine is committed to promoting the role of mathematics in tackling real-world challenges and, in 2016, co-published the book UK Success Stories in Industrial Mathematics, which showcased mathematical research that had resulted in positive industrial, societal and environmental impacts. She is also an advocate for the advancement of women leaders in STEMM subjects. She is currently participating in the Homeward Bound programme, a global year-long leadership program for women in science which focusses on the development of leadership capacity, strategic capability and visibility and culminates in a 3 week intensive Antarctic voyage.