Celebrating: Francis Williams
Date: Wednesday 19 November 2025
Times: 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM (50 minutes each)
Format: Live, online, and classroom-ready – all you need is paper!
This school year the Heilbronn Institute is celebrating Black Mathematicians with Big Ideas.
Each term, Celebrating will introduce students to amazing mathematicians, past and present, and explore their field of maths with a special mathematical guest whether it’s logic or long division, measurements or mental maths, proportions or even planets!
Celebrating kicks off this November with the intriguing story of Eighteenth century mathematician, Francis Williams. The events will be hosted by journalist and academic, Dekan Apajee. Dekan will be joined Dr Luke Davis a theoretical physicist and mathematician undertaking ground-breaking research at the University of Edinburgh.
Who can join?
Open to upper primary school classes across the UK – book your FREE place now and go from zero to hero!!
Register your class
Spaces are limited – reserve your place today:
Email maths@big-ideas.org if you have any questions.
Meet our host Dekan Apajee
Dekan studied engineering before going on to work as a broadcast journalist and producer for BBC News. Passionate about opportunities for everyone, Dekan founded All Sortz Open Mic as a platform for emerging London artists to perform music, comedy, spoken word to live audiences.
Today he is Head of the Media Department at the University of East London, leading on degree courses including, Filmmaking, Sports Journalism, Digital Media, Animation and Games.
Dekan champions inclusion and diversity in all his work.
Meet our expert speaker Dr Luke Davis
Dr Luke Davis is especially interested in the physics and mathematics of active and living matter, and champions diversity and outreach in STEM.
Luke previously worked at the Isaac Newton Institute, University of Cambridge, and takes inspiration from Isaac Newton’s approach to scientific inquiry: “Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” – Sir Isaac Newton
A gifted artist, Luke also publishes inspirational portraits on his website.
