Isaac Burke graduated from the University of Galway in 2012 with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics. He completed a PhD in Mathematics at the University of Galway in 2020. His doctoral research was in the area of abstract algebra in pure mathematics. The title of his PhD thesis is “Characterising bases of pure difference ideals”.
During his undergraduate years at the University of Galway he was a University Scholar and a co-recipient of the Peel Prize in Geometry.
For his final year undergraduate project, entitled “Finding a non-broken circuit basis for the Orlik-Solomon algebra of an arrangement of hyperplanes”, he won an Undergraduate Award, presented by the President of Ireland. He was named as the Overall Winner in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences category.
In 2012 he received an offer from the University of Cambridge for admission to Part III of the Mathematical Tripos and was awarded a Robert Gardiner Memorial Scholarship, but opted instead to undertake doctoral research at the University of Galway, funded by the Irish Research Council and the Hardiman Scholarship Scheme.
In 2014 he was a delegate to the Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Heidelberg, Germany. In 2016 he was a participant in the Mathematics Research Communities Program of the American Mathematical Society.
Whilst a PhD student at the University of Galway he tutored a number of mathematics modules including Discrete Mathematics, Numerical Analysis and Ring Theory.
From 2021 to 2023 Dr Burke was Assistant Lecturer / Lecturer at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Maynooth University, where he was responsible for the delivery of large service mathematics modules including Linear Algebra 1 & 2 and Calculus 3 & 4. During the 2022-2023 academic year, he was the organiser of the Mathematics & Statistics Colloquium Series at Maynooth University.
Dr Burke has also been employed in secondary education both in the public and private sector. He is experienced in providing independent educational support to Senior Cycle students in mathematics. He has worked as a maths teacher for MSLETB (Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board). He is a former Connaught Coach with MATHletes Challenge, a free maths challenge powered by Khan Academy and focused on students aged 8-16.