Peter Sarnak (Photo by C. J. Mazzochi)
Peter Sarnak, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics, was awarded the 2014 Wolf Prize in Mathematics. The Wolf Prizes are awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in the fields of agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, physics and the arts. The prize was awarded to Sarnak, along with seven laureates from other fields, by Israeli President Shimon Peres on June 1, 2014, at the Knesset.
The Wolf Foundation noted that Sarnak is “a mathematician of an extremely broad spectrum with a far-reaching vision. He has impacted the development of several mathematical fields, often by uncovering deep and unsuspected connections.” The award citation further noted his work on eigenfunctions of quantum mechanical Hamiltonians, his work on L-functions, and the exploration of the link between random matrix theory and the statistical properties of zeros of the Riemann zeta function. Sarnak’s work has also had “a huge impact on combinatorics and computer science,” according to the citation, which also noted: “By his insights and his readiness to share ideas he has inspired the work of students and fellow researchers in many areas of mathematics.”
–By Molly Sharlach
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