Jean Bourgain has spent the largest part of his career at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the Walhalla for theorists. It was in this position that he received the prize, for ‘multiple transformative contributions to analysis, combinatorics, partial differential equations, high-dimensional geometry and number theory’.
Jean Bourgain
Bourgain studied mathematics at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he received his Ph.D. in 1977. He is known for his strong analytical skills and has accomplishments in various areas of mathematics, such as analytic number theory and partial differential equations. In 1994 he received the Fields Medal, also known as the Nobel Prize for Mathematics, and in 2015 he became a Baron.
“It is of course an immense honor for me to be awarded the Breakthrough Prize and also an occasion to thank all those who helped me along my career. Over the years I have been fortunate to interact with several truly exceptional individuals who introduced me to different subjects and from whom I learned a lot. Collaborations on all levels played an important part in my work and are greatly valued. Appointments at research institutions such as the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in Bures/Yvette (France) and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton provided ideal conditions for a full dedication to mathematics. I am most grateful for their trust. Last but not least, thanks to my family for their love and continuous support over the years.”
The Breakthrough Prize
The Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics rewards significant discoveries across the many branches of the subject. The prize was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Yuri Milner and announced at the 2014 Breakthrough Prize ceremony. More information about the prize can be found here.