Mathematics Research in Kerala: A Network Based Study

Background: Kerala school of Mathematics is very famous for its contributions to calculus and astronomy. It flourished for a period of four hundred years from the beginning of 14th Century. Latter the school vanished for some unknown reasons. Research contribution to mathematics in the modern time can be identified only in the middle of 20th century. Educational institutions play a major role in the creation, preservation and expansion of new knowledge. Collaborative research is another crucial factor in the generation of new knowledge. Collaborations can create network and it is worth to study the performance of research institutions in the field of Mathematics using the techniques of network analysis. Social network analysis is a very established area of research. Tools and techniques in social network analysis is being used for the analysis and interpretation of network related data. Method: In this paper we are studying the collaboration of Mathematical research institutions in Kerala for the period from 1981 to 2015. Data related to all the papers published in journals which have MR number and at least one author from an institution in Kerala. From the details collected we extract the institution codes and to represent the nodes in the network. We make an adjacency matrix of the network. If two institutions collaborate to publish a paper, then the corresponding value of the adjacency matrix is 1 and it is 0 otherwise. Using the weighted adjacency matrix of the collaboration matrix we rank the institutions in the order of their importance using the m-Ranking method. Results: In all period of study except 2010-15, 6-COCH (Department of Mathematics, Cochin University of Science and Technology) came first. But in the year 2010 – 15 the first position occupied by obtained by Department of Mathematics, NIT, Calicut. Conclusions: Collaboration network of research institutions in Kerala in the subject of mathematics is studied in order to develop an idea about the progress of research in mathematics giving importance to the state of Kerala. The institutions are ranked according to the importance of the institutions in the network based on the strength of the collaborative research work carried out during the specified period.