Dr Francois Schulz has always been fascinated by mathematics. A trait that probably made achieving a doctorate in pure mathematics at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) all the more joyous.
In fact, at the young age of 25, Schulz has become the youngest mathematician at UJ to attain this accolade.
He explained that although his fascination for numbers cannot be attributed to any of his family members, his family’s support has by far been the best attribute to his success. “My parents have always motivated me to excel in mathematics,” said Schulz. Pure mathematics is the study and development of the principles of mathematics for its own sake rather than its application.
Schulz added that it makes him very happy to know that he achieved something great with this gift and hard work. “This being said, I owe so much to so many people who have helped me along the way,” he said.
He is now a permanent lecturer in the [Department of Pure and Applied Mathematics at UJ https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/science/Pages/pam.aspx]. His duties are to teach mathematics to students, supervise postgraduate students and produce original research in the field of mathematics.
“I have worked hard in matric and throughout my university career in order to obtain bursaries to pay for my studies. This included countless late nights of studying and working in order to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to succeed at mathematics.” conveyed Schulz.
Schulz is not all work, in his spare time, one can find him doing what athletes do best at BST crossfit at least five times a week. “I am quite active and consider myself a fair athlete,” he said. He added that he enjoys every second of competing and developing his fitness.
“Although I am quite the amateur, I am also very interested in astronomy,” said Schulz.
Schulz vehemently believes that pursuing your passion is never a wasteful move. “A person who is passionate about what he/she does is driven and has a purpose – feats which almost always leads to success,” he said.
His hopes are that he can share the beauty of mathematics with the youth and inspire many of them to follow the path leading to a career in mathematics.
“I am in a very fortunate position, I get to do what I love, explore what fascinates me and share this with others every day. It is easy to stay motivated when you are passionate about what you do,” said Schulz.
He concluded that he is a big dreamer. He would absolutely love to win a fields medal in mathematics one day. “I would also like to be known as one of the mathematicians responsible for putting African mathematics on the map.”
Details: University of Johannesburg, 011 559 4555.
