The Forder Lectureship and Aitken Lectureship were a research exchange activity between the London Mathematical Society and the New Zealand Mathematical Society, which closed in 2023. It began with the Forder Lectureship in 1987 and the Aitken Lectureship was introduced in 2009. Details of both Lectureships and the Forder Lecturers and Aitken Lecturers are given below.
Forder Lectureship
In 1986 the Council of the London Mathematical Society, in consultation with Officers of the New Zealand Mathematical Society, instituted a Lectureship to New Zealand. The Lectureship was named after the late Professor H. G. Forder, formerly of the University of Auckland, and a benefactor of the London Mathematical Society. The Forder Lectureship occurred every two years (in odd-numbered years) when a mathematician from the UK, who is a member of the London Mathematical Society and normally resident in the United Kingdom, was invited by both Societies to give lectures at most universities in New Zealand over a period of four weeks. Forder lecturers were chosen for their eminent contribution as a research mathematician and who can also speak effectively at a more popular level.
Forder Lecturers 1987- 2023
| 1987 | Christopher Zeeman | 2005 | Martin Bridson |
| 1989 | Michael Atiyah | 2008 | Peter Cameron |
| 1991 | Peter Whittle | 2010 | Ben Green |
| 1993 | Roger Penrose | 2012 | Geoffrey Grimmett |
| 1995 | Elmer Rees | 2015 | Endre Suli |
| 1997 | Ian Stewart | 2016 | Julia Gog |
| 1999 | Michael Berry | 2018 | Valerie Isham |
| 2001 | Tom Körner | 2020 | Julia Wolf |
| 2003 | Caroline Series | 2023 | Imre Leader |
Aitken Lectureship
In 2009, the London Mathematical Society and New Zealand Mathematical Society agreed to set up a new lectureship which is named after Professor A. Aitken, one of New Zealand’s great mathematicians, for a period of ten years. The Aitken Lectureship occurred every two years (in even-numbered years) when a mathematician from New Zealand was invited by both Societies to give lectures at different universities around the UK over a period of several weeks.
Aitken Lecturers 2011- 2022
| 2022 | Lisa Clark |
| 2019 | Bakh Khoussainov |
| 2017 | Hinke Osinga |
| 2015 | Steven Galbraith |
| 2013 | Robert Mclachlan |
| 2011 | Geoff Whittle |