Jean Bourgain and Terence Tao receive Crafoord Prize in mathematics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2012 Crafoord Prize to Jean Bourgain (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA) and Terence Tao (U.C. Los Angeles) “for their brilliant and groundbreaking work in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, ergodic theory, number theory, combinatorics, functional analysis and theoretical computer science”.

As the Crafoord Prize website explains,

This year´s Crafoord Prize Laureates have solved an impressive number of important problems in mathematics. Their deep mathematical erudition and exceptional problem-solving ability have enabled them to discover many new and fruitful connections and to make fundamental contributions to current research in several branches of mathematics.

On their own and jointly with others, Jean Bourgain and Terence Tao have made important contributions to many fields of mathematics — from number theory to the theory of non-linear waves. The majority of their most fundamental results are in the field of mathematical analysis. They have developed and used the toolbox of analysis in groundbreaking and surprising ways. Their ability to change perspective and view problems from new angles has led to many remarkable insights, attracting a great deal of attention among researchers worldwide.

Bourgain and Tao will receive an award of SEK 4,000,000 (approximately USD 587,752) in a ceremony to be held in Lund, Sweden on 15 May 2012 hosted by the King and Queen of Sweden.

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