{
  "id": "hannah-fry",
  "title": "Hannah Fry",
  "lang": "en",
  "source_lang": "en",
  "summary": "Hannah Fry is a British mathematician, author and broadcaster whose work combines research on human behaviour with public communication of mathematics and science.",
  "category": "mathematics",
  "subcategory": "applied",
  "type": "person",
  "aliases": [],
  "generated_at": "2026-10-14",
  "model": "gpt-6.1-sol",
  "url": "https://aiwiki.page/en/hannah-fry/",
  "translations": {
    "zh-Hans": {
      "url": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/hannah-fry/",
      "json": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/hannah-fry.json"
    }
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "",
      "text": "Hannah Fry is a British mathematician, author and broadcaster, and the first Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Her academic work has examined patterns in human behaviour, particularly in cities, while her books, lectures and broadcasts explain the role of mathematics in everyday life and the effects of algorithms and emerging technologies on society. She joined Cambridge’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics in January 2025, having previously been Professor of the Mathematics of Cities at University College London (UCL). (cam.ac.uk)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Academic career and research",
      "text": "Fry completed her PhD at UCL in 2011. Her doctoral thesis, A Study of Droplet Deformation, investigated how liquid droplets attached to surfaces deform through interaction with surrounding fluids. It combined mathematical approximations with numerical solutions to model the behaviour of the droplet and the external fluid. This early work concerned fluid mechanics rather than the human behaviour that became a focus of her later research. (discovery.ucl.ac.uk)\n\nAt UCL’s Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Fry worked across disciplinary boundaries with mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, architects and geographers. Her research explored patterns associated with shopping, transport, crime, riots and other aspects of urban life. The university’s account of her work also describes collaborations with governments, police forces, supermarkets and health analysts. (cam.ac.uk)\n\nHer Cambridge professorship places public engagement at the centre of an academic role. Announced on 22 November 2024 and beginning on 1 January 2025, the appointment established a new chair dedicated to communicating mathematics. Its remit includes engagement with audiences outside the university and the development of effective approaches to mathematical communication. (cam.ac.uk)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Books",
      "text": "Fry’s books use familiar subjects to introduce mathematical reasoning and examine the relationship between quantitative methods and human judgement.\n\n- The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation (2015) examines patterns in relationships, online dating and partner selection. It introduces topics including probability and game theory, while explicitly distinguishing mathematical descriptions of patterns from a complete account of human emotions or relationships. (simonandschuster.com)\n- Hello World (2018) explores how algorithms influence decisions in areas including justice, medicine and transport. Published with different subtitles in different markets, it addresses both the capabilities of automated systems and the problems that arise when people place excessive trust in them. (penguin.co.uk)\n- Rutherford and Fry’s Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged) (2021), co-written with Adam Rutherford, ranges beyond mathematics into cosmology, evolution, perception and other scientific subjects. Its organising theme is the contrast between intuitive explanations and scientific accounts of how the world works. (penguin.co.uk)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Broadcasting and public lectures",
      "text": "In 2019, Fry delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures under the title Secrets and Lies: The Hidden Power of Maths. The three-lecture series examined chance, the influence of large datasets and algorithms, and the circumstances in which numbers can mislead. Demonstrations and experiments connected mathematical ideas with decisions encountered in everyday life. (ucl.ac.uk)\n\nHer broadcasting work includes the BBC television series The Secret Genius of Modern Life, Bloomberg’s The Future with Hannah Fry, and BBC Radio 4’s Curious Cases. She has also presented The DeepMind Podcast and co-hosted The Rest Is Science with Michael Stevens. These projects extend her communication work into technology, artificial intelligence and science more broadly. (royalsociety.org)\n\nStorytelling is an explicit part of Fry’s approach to public engagement. Her 2026 Cambridge Rouse Ball Lecture, The Unreasonable Effectiveness of a Good Story, explored how narratives can connect tangible experiences with underlying mathematical ideas. The lecture was followed by communication workshops for undergraduates. (maths.cam.ac.uk)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Awards and recognition",
      "text": "Fry received the Christopher Zeeman Medal in 2018, awarded jointly by the London Mathematical Society and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications for contributions to the public understanding of mathematical sciences. In 2024, she received the Royal Society’s David Attenborough Award for public engagement with science. (lms.ac.uk)\n\nIn July 2026, she received the Leelavati Prize, awarded by the International Mathematical Union for outstanding contributions to increasing public awareness of mathematics. Her broadcasting recognition includes an Emmy in 2025 for an episode of The Future with Hannah Fry about quantum computing, and a Webby Award in 2026 for The Rest Is Science. (maths.cam.ac.uk)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    "university-of-cambridge",
    "mathematics",
    "university-college-london",
    "doctor-of-philosophy",
    "probability",
    "game-theory",
    "algorithm",
    "artificial-intelligence",
    "royal-society",
    "quantum-computer"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Award-winning broadcaster Hannah Fry joins Cambridge as Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics",
      "url": "https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/hannah-fry-joins-cambridge-as-professor-of-the-public-understanding-of-mathematics"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hello World",
      "url": "https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/436025/hello-world-by-fry-hannah/9781473544710?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block"
    },
    {
      "title": "Rutherford and Fry’s Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged)",
      "url": "https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440405/rutherford-and-frys-complete-guide-to-absolutely-everything-abridged-by-dr-adam-rutherford-and-dr-hannah-fry/9781473571501"
    },
    {
      "title": "Watch the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES archive",
      "url": "https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch-royal-institution-christmas-lectures-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Professor Hannah Fry: The stories I've told",
      "url": "https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2025/12/attenborough-award-lecture/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Science for society - Case studies",
      "url": "https://rs-uks-score01.royalsociety.org/news-resources/projects/science-for-society/html/case-studies/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Learning from the greats: Hannah Fry shares her magic with Cambridge undergraduates",
      "url": "https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/features/learning-greats-hannah-fry-shares-her-magic-cambridge-undergraduates"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hannah Fry awarded 2018 Zeeman Medal",
      "url": "https://www.lms.ac.uk/news-entry/08082018-1027/hannah-fry-awarded-2018-zeeman-medal"
    },
    {
      "title": "Voices of Mathematics: Hannah Fry",
      "url": "https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/features/voices-mathematics-hannah-fry"
    }
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}