The math queen on a quantum mission to mentor girls

Known in Ghana as the Queen of Maths, Dr Angela Tabiri is the first African woman to win The Big Internet Math Off competition – quite an achievement for someone who did not originally plan to study maths.

The 35-year-old Ghanaian “finds joy in solving puzzles and mathematical problems” and is hoping for her victory in 2024. to open up the world of mathematics to other African women – who have traditionally been discouraged from taking up the subject.

Sixteen mathematicians were invited to compete for the title of “World’s Most Interesting Mathematician”, a public voting event launched in 2018. from The Aperiodical blog.

The first winner was Dr Neera Chamberlain, the first black mathematician to be included in Britain’s Who’s Who and vice-president of the professional body, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

During the event, they all compete against each other – so two in each match – and then it’s on to quarter-finals and semi-finals until the big match to decide who explained their chosen math concept the best .

Dr. Tabiri’s passion is quantum or noncommutative algebra, which she researches at the Ghana branch of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Aims).

The goals began in South Africa and then expanded to Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon and Rwanda – to provide postgraduate education and research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Dr Tabiri is also the Academic Manager of the Girls in Mathematical Sciences Programme, a mentoring and support scheme for girls in high school or secondary school in Ghana.

It was established by Aims-Ghana in 2020 to “ensure that we have a pool of young girls who will be at the forefront of research and innovation in the mathematical sciences – in academia and also in industry”.

Dr Tabiri says the number of girls and boys studying maths in high school is roughly equal, but then drops at university level.

This is partly because, she says, female students assume that if they do maths, the only job they can do is teach, because maths is still seen as a “boy’s subject” – and there are very few women role models.

This is something Dr. Tabiri is trying to change.

But her path to mathematics was not easy.

She grew up in Ashaiman, one of Tema’s poorer, densely populated districts, an industrial center and port an hour’s drive east of the capital, Accra.

Her family home was happy but noisy – she has four sisters – and Dr Tabiri often sought the peace and quiet of the local youth center to study.

She wanted to follow in the footsteps of two sisters and study business administration at university.

But her grades, while high, weren’t high enough – and so she was accepted instead for maths and economics.

“It was a blessing in disguise,” says Dr. Tabiri. “Numbers and puzzles fascinated me, but I never thought a career in mathematics was for me.”

In 2015 Dr. Tabiri received a PhD fellowship at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. It was hard work, she says — and it was there that she had a big moment.

She went to see Hidden Figures, the film about black American mathematicians who worked at the US space agency NASA in the 1950s, during the era of segregation in the US.

“It was amazing to see the story of these black women told on this world stage,” she recalls. “I got goosebumps watching it.”

She was particularly inspired by Katherine Johnson, whose extraordinary mathematical skills and calculations were critical to the success of American spaceflight.

“Katherine Johnson worked so hard – and for a long time her work was hidden. She made me realize that I just had to keep going.

“If your work isn’t even recognized now, it will be recognized sometime in the future. That was a real turning point for me.”

Ghana reached a historic event in 2024 when Dr. Gloria Botchuei became the first woman to graduate from the University of Ghana with a PhD in Mathematics.

It was a journey full of hardships – including selling water and yams by the side of the road as a six-year-old.

Dr. Tabiri seeks to support other African girls and women from less privileged backgrounds to follow their dreams in mathematics through her non-profit organization FemAfricMaths.

Together with other volunteers, she gives lessons to the youngest high school students in person and online.

She also posts on social media interviews she does with leading female mathematicians from around the world.

Dr Tabiri is also very passionate about the potential of quantum science and technology – for which mathematics is essential.

She is proud that Ghana, backed by Mexico, spearheaded the 2025 bids. to be declared the United Nations International Year of Quantum Science and Technology – the 100th anniversary of the discovery of modern quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics emerged from studies to reveal how ultra-small particles – the most fundamental particles of matter, energy and light – interact with each other to make up the world.

This led to the development of the Internet, solar cells and global navigation satellite systems.

Researchers and major technology companies from around the world – including China, the US, the UK, Australia and South Africa – are now racing to develop quantum technologies, including quantum computers and ultra-precise measuring and sensing devices.

The hope is that complex problems will be solved at lightning speed and there will be huge innovations in fields such as medicine, environmental sciences, food production and cyber security.

“There’s a lot of talk now – the pros and cons – the jobs that will be created,” says Dr Tabiri.

Africa’s fast-growing population, already the world’s youngest, will be the world’s largest workforce by 2040, according to the United Nations.

“But that doesn’t mean we will get the jobs,” says Dr Tabiri.

She hopes to organize a “quantum road show” as a first step in introducing students to quantum science at a much younger age than her.

“We want young people to start developing interest and building all the relevant skills during their primary education,” she says.

The road show will be based on a recent quantum computing course she conducted for secondary school girls who attend classes at Aims-Ghana during their vacations.

The course discussed what it takes to build a quantum computer, its current vulnerability – and the challenges quantum computing poses to current systems such as cryptography.

Working with UNESCO, Dr. Tabiri will also host a week-long “Quantum Hackathon” in July in Ames-Ghana for about 40 PhD students from various African countries.

“We want them to use their quantum skills to solve some of the biggest challenges we face, real-life problems,” says Dr Tabiri.

“It is very urgent that we prepare our youth for this next great revolution.”