Dennis Sullivan is awarded the Abel Prize

Mathematician Dennis Sullivan, Albert Einstein Chair at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and professor at Stony Brook University, has been awarded the prestigious Abel Prize, “for his groundbreaking contributions to topology in the broadest sense, and in particular its algebraic, geometric and dynamical aspects”.

He was a permanent professor at IHES between 1974 and 1997 and until today he is the third former IHES permanent professor to have received this distinction, together with Pierre Deligne and Mikhail Gromov.

When he was recruited at IHES at the young age of thirty-three, Dennis Sullivan had already made himself known for his qualities as a geometer. The then director Nicolaas Kuiper, who recruited him in 1974, described him as “a world-famous mathematician, known especially for the highly original nature of his research on the topology of manifolds, algebraic topology, the topology of polynomial equations, singularities and dynamical systems.”, stressing that “his mindset demonstrates not only a strong mastery of technique, but also a willingness to tackle the most fundamental problems.”¹

On top of his important contributions to mathematics, during the many years that he spent at the Institute, managing time between France and the US, Dennis Sullivan played an essential role in gathering a lively community of mathematicians around him, that made his presence extremely cherished at the Institute.

IHES warmly congratulates him on this important award.

Learn more about the prize and Dennis Sullivan’s contributions.

 

¹ Reference: “A history of IHES”, 2020