Oslo | AFP
The ArgentineAmerican mathematician Luis Caffarelli won the prestigious Abel Prize this Wednesday (22nd) for his work on “partial differential equations”, which make it possible to describe phenomena as diverse as water flow or population growth.
He is the first South American mathematician to win the Norwegian prize, which was first awarded in 2003.
Professor at the University of Texas (USA), Caffarelli, 74, was recognized for his “fundamental contributions to the theory of the regularity of nonlinear differential equations,” the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Literature announced.
“It is an honor to receive this award, which recognizes a lifetime’s work,” the laureate, who expressed himself “surprised and happy”, told the Norwegian news agency NTB.
Differential equations are tools used by scientists to predict the behavior of the physical world and to relate one or more unknown functions and their derivatives, the Academy pointed out in its statement.
They play an important role in several disciplines, including physics, economics and biology.
The academy in the Nordic country particularly highlighted the laureate’s more than 40year contributions to the theory of regularity.
“By combining his brilliant geometric knowledge with sophisticated analytical tools and methods, he has had and continues to have a very important impact on the field,” said Helge Holden, Chairman of the Abel Committee.
In a statement, the University of Texas congratulated its professor on “the highest honor in the field of mathematics”.
“Luis Caffarelli introduced brilliant new techniques that demonstrate brilliant geometric acumen,” said Austinbased university president Jay Hartzell.
“Changing the world starts with understanding the world, and Luis has helped advance human understanding of some of math’s most daunting problems,” he added.
Caffarelli succeeds American Dennis Parnell Sullivan, winner of the 2022 Abel Prize for his work in topology and chaos theory.
Named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (18021829), the prize is funded by the Norwegian government and awards 7.5 million Norwegian kroner (R$3.76 million) to the winner.
Caffarelli will accept the award on May 23 in Oslo.
A prolific mathematician, Caffarelli was involved in more than 130 collaborations and supervised more than 30 graduate students over a 50year period.
He has received numerous awards, including the Leroy Steele Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Mathematical Society, the Wolf Prize, and the Shaw Prize.