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Abel Prize for Mikhail Gromov

OSLO: The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on Thursday announced that the Abel Prize for 2009 would go to Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov, the Russian-French mathematician, “for his revolutionary contributions to geometry.”

Professor Gromov, 65, will receive the Abel Prize from Norway’s King Harald at a ceremony in Oslo on May 19, the Academy said in a statement.

The Abel Prize recognises contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to the mathematical sciences and has been awarded annually since 2003. It carries a cash award of NOK 6,000,000 (about Rs. 4.8 crore).

Professor Gromov is known for his contributions in many areas of mathematics, and has produced profoundly original ideas which have resulted in new perspectives on geometry and other areas of mathematics.

The Abel Committee said: “Mikhail Gromov is always in pursuit of new questions and is constantly thinking of new ideas for solutions to old problems. He has produced deep and original work throughout his career and remains remarkably creative. The work of Gromov will continue to be a source of inspiration for many future mathematical discoveries.”

Professor Gromov was born on December 23, 1943 in Boksitogorsk, USSR. He obtained his Master’s degree (1965) and his Doctorate (1969) from Leningrad University, where he was Assistant Professor from 1967 to 1974. He produced a post-doctoral thesis in 1973.

Since 1982, he has been Permanent Professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Bures-sur-Yvette, France. IHÉS is an institute for advanced research in mathematics, theoretical physics and related fields. He is Jay Gould Professor of Mathematics at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University.

He has received many international awards, including the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences (2002), the Balzan Prize (1999), the Leroy P. Steele Prize (1997), the Lobatchewski Medal (1997) and the Wolf Prize (1993). He is a foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the l’Académie française de Sciences. The Niels Henrik Abel Memorial Fund was established in 2002 to award the Abel Prize.

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