This page is intended for PhD students and postdocs who are learning to meet or host academics (e.g. for seminars).

Academia and mathematics is a terribly small world. As evidenced by the Mathematics Geneology project, almost everybody is connected in a very immediate way. By meeting with academics or helping to host visitors or speakers, you're working towards extending your professional network. This might give you opportunities through:

• Getting to know someone who you might eventually contact in the future (for postdocs, for jobs, for foreign/domestic short-term research visits, etc.)
• Getting to know someone who might also lead you to further networking opportunities in the future.
• Sharing your research.
• Potentially gaining invitations for you to come speak at their seminar.

1. Google them. Go scan their list of publications to get an idea of their area. Maybe glance at the more recent articles. Look them up on the Mathematical Genealogy website to see what their PhD was in.
2. Look for connections. Have they done something that is connected to what you do? Is their research style similar or different? Are they doing something you have always wanted to learn or you're confused about? Ask them about it!
3. Tell them about your research. Give them a nice gentle introduction to what you do. Tell them about interesting maths or physical problems you're working on. Tailor this dependent on what they do.
4. Ask them what they're working on.
5. Ask them about their PhD or their career. E.g. “I saw that you did your PhD on X, Y, Z with A”. How did you get to Institution B after that?“
6. Ask them about their university or research group. E.g. “What is the fluid dyanamics group at Institution B like?” Ask them about what the PhD students are like, whether the undergraduates are annoying, what classes they're dealing with this term, etc.
7. Ask about cultural differences. E.g. “What was it like doing a PhD in the UK and now where in the US?”