The Abel Prize, one of the top awards in Mathematics, is awarded to the American Mathematician John Milnor, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York. John Milnor was born in New Jersey and went to Princeton University for his undergraduate and PhD degrees. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced that John Milnor will receive the award this year “for pioneering discoveries in topology, geometry and algebra”.
John Milnor will receive the Abel Prize in Oslo on 24th May 2011 from His Majesty King Harald. Making the announcement of the Abel Prize winner for this year, the Abel committee said
All of Milnor’s works display marks of great research: profound insights, vivid imagination, elements of surprise, and supreme beauty.
In addition to the Abel Prize, the American Mathematician John Milnor has already received numerous top awards. John Milnor was the recipient of Fields Medal in 1962 for his work in differential topology. He was only 31 in 1962. John Milnor received the US National Medal of Science in 1967 and the Wolf Prize in Mathematics in 1989. John Milner also received all three AMS Steele Prizes for his contribution to research in 1982, for mathematical exposition in 2004, and for lifetime achievement in 2011.
The Abel Prize, also known “Nobel for Math” has been awarded since 2003 and recognizes path breaking contributions to the mathematical sciences. The Abel Prize winner receives a cash award of close to $1 million (NOK 6,000,000 or EUR 750,000). The Abel Prize is awarded by Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the winner is chosen based on the recommendation of the Abel Committee, consisting of five internationally recognized mathematicians.
- Abel Committee’s citation on the Abel Prize 2011.
- Professor Timothy Gowers’ brief description on John Milnor’s work