Indian-born American wins Norway’s Abel Prize for Mathematics

NORWAY: Indian-born New York University professor Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan won Norway’s 6 million kroner (US$975,000, euro736,000) Abel Prize for mathematics for “his fundamental contributions to probability theory.”

Varadhan, 67, teaches at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and the award said his theories are useful in a broad range of fields, including quantum field theory, statistical physics, population dynamics, econometrics and finance, and traffic engineering.

“Varadhan’s work has great conceptual strength and ageless beauty. His ideas have been hugely influential and will continue to stimulate further research for a long time,” said the citation from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

The Abel Prize, first awarded in 2003, was created by the Norwegian government and named after 19th Century Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.

The awards citation said, “Probability theory is the mathematical tool for analyzing situations governed by chance. ... This subject has concrete applications to fields as diverse as physics, biology, economics, statistics, computer science, and engineering.”

OSLO, Friday, AP