Geneva professor wins "Nobel prize of maths"
A Geneva University professor is among four people to have been awarded mathematics’ prestigious Fields Medal for 2010.
Stanislas Smirnov received the award on Thursday at the International
Congress of Mathematics in Hyderabad, India. Other recipients were Cedric Vilani and Ngo Bau Chau from Paris and Elon Lindenstrauss from Jerusalem.
The Fields Medal is considered the equivalent of the Nobel prize for mathematics and is awarded every four years to outstanding mathematicians under the age of 40.
Smirnov, who was born and studied in St Petersburg, was recognised for his “ingenious and astonishing work” in the field of statistical physics.
“The success of Stanislav in analyzing lattice models in statistical physics will undoubtedly be a stimulus for further work”, said a statement by the organisers.
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