UEA’s grant and funding success – September 2025
By: Communications
Scalable theorem proving via mathematical databases
Project lead: Dr Chris Birkbeck
Partners: David Roe (MIT) and Andrew Sutherland (MIT)
Dr Chris Birkbeck (Lecturer in the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics) has been awarded $362,000 through the AI for Math Fund – an initiative by Renaissance Philanthropy, with funding support from XTX Markets.
This is part of a joint project with David Roe and Andrew Sutherland from MIT.
The project seeks to increase the scale of mathematical content accessible to automated theorem provers, by creating an interface between the Lean mathematical library (mathlib) and the L-functions and Modular Forms Database (LMFDB).
By connecting mathlib's collection of approximately 100,000 mathematical results with the LMFDB's repository of more than a billion concrete statements, they aim to expand the capabilities of both human mathematicians and AI agents.
Related Articles
A graduate’s apprenticeship journey from ‘imposter’ to award‑winning strategic leader
For National Apprenticeship Week 2026, UEA is shining a spotlight on graduate Anna Tanner, whose experience on UEA’s apprenticeship and MBA programmes helped to transform her confidence and leadership style.
Read more
Multi-award-winning journalist Clive Myrie visits UEA for in-conversation event
Learn more about the chance to meet and hear from one of the BBC’s most experienced and recognised news presenters at a special event in May.
Read more
Remembering Professor Stuart Penkett
Friends and colleagues at UEA were saddened to learn of the death of Stuart Penkett, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences, who passed away at the start of January.
Read more