Manjul Bhargava
Princeton University mathematician Manjul Bhargava was awarded the 2014 Fields Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in mathematics, in recognition of his work in the geometry of numbers.
(Courtesy of Princeton University)
PRINCETON — A Princeton University researcher was awarded the "Nobel Prize of mathematics" for his work in the geometry of numbers, officials announced this week.
The nonprofit International Mathematical Union presented Manjul Bhargava with this year’s Fields Medal, which the organization gives out every four years to researchers under age 40 based on their existing work and their “promise of future achievement,” the university said in a news release announcing the award.
The IMU rules state recipients cannot turn 40 before Jan. 1 of the prize year. Bhargava turned 40 last week, university spokesman Morgan Kelly said.
The honor was awarded to four researchers at the group’s International Congress of Mathematicians held in Seoul, South Korea.
Bhargava joined the Princeton faculty in 2003 after receiving his doctorate in mathematics from the school two years earlier. He is the eighth Fields Medal recipient from Princeton since 1954, the release said.
“I am of course very honored to be receiving the Fields Medal,” Bhargava said in the release. “Beyond that, it is a great source of encouragement and inspiration, not just for me, but I hope also for my students, collaborators and colleagues who work with me. Needless to say, this is their prize, too!”
David Gabai, chairman of the university’s math department, called the award “probably the most prestigious recognition in pure mathematics.”
“Beyond being a great researcher and adviser to graduate students, Manjul is an extraordinary teacher,” Gabai said in the release.
Bhargava is known for his freshman seminar called “The Mathematics of Magic Tricks and Games,” Gabai said.
Bhargava was also named one of Popular Science magazine's "Brilliant 10" in 2002.
The IMU also recognized the first female recipient of a Fields Medal, Maryam Mirzakhani, who was a Princeton mathematics professor from 2004 to 2010 and is now teaching at Stanford University, the release said.
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