Eugenia Cheng, Part 1

Today we feature the first installment of a two-part conversation with the mathematician and musician, Dr. Eugenia Cheng, a Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, a concert pianist, and the author of several books including How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the mathematics of Mathematics, The art of logic: How to make sense in a world that doesn’t, and x + y: A mathematician’s manifesto for rethinking gender. Eugenia was born in the UK, earned three degrees from Cambridge, including a PhD in category theory, and now lives in Chicago where she is dedicated to bringing mathematics to a wider audience. In this deeply personal conversation, we talk about the importance of doing things for other people, of the formative experiences in childhood, and of unexpected life experiences that shape us.