Charles Fefferman
Encyclopedia
Charles Louis Fefferman is an American
mathematician
at Princeton University
. His primary field of research is mathematical analysis
.
A child prodigy
, Fefferman entered college by twelve and had written his first scientific paper by the age of 15 in German
. After receiving his bachelor's degree
s in physics
and mathematics
at the age of 17 from the University of Maryland
and a PhD
in mathematics at 20 from Princeton University
under Elias Stein, Fefferman received full professorship at the University of Chicago
at the age of 22. This made him the youngest full professor ever appointed in the United States
. At 24, he returned to Princeton to assume a full professorship there — a position he still holds. He won the Alan T. Waterman Award
in 1976 (the first mathematician to get the award) and the Fields medal
in 1978 for his work in mathematical analysis
. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
in 1979. He was appointed the Herbert Jones Professor at Princeton in 1984.
In addition to the above, his honors include the Salem Prize
, the Bôcher Prize, and the Bergman Prize, as well as election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
Fefferman contributed several innovations that revised the study of multidimensional complex analysis by finding correct generalisations of classical low-dimensional results. Fefferman's work on partial differential equations, Fourier analysis, in particular convergence, multipliers, divergence, singular integrals and Hardy spaces earned him a Fields Medal
at the International Congress of Mathematicians at Helsinki
in 1978.
His early work included a study of the asymptotics of the Bergman kernel
off the boundaries of pseudoconvex domains in
. His research to date includes a vast number of key results in diverse areas: mathematical physics, harmonic analysis, fluid dynamics, neural network
s, geometry, mathematical finance
and spectral analysis, amongst others.
. She has an interest in Middle Eastern music. Nina is a computational biologist whose research focuses on applying mathematical models to complex biological systems. Charles Fefferman's brother, Robert Fefferman, is also an accomplished mathematician and currently a Dean at the University of Chicago
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. His primary field of research is mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
.
A child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
, Fefferman entered college by twelve and had written his first scientific paper by the age of 15 in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. After receiving his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at the age of 17 from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics at 20 from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
under Elias Stein, Fefferman received full professorship at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
at the age of 22. This made him the youngest full professor ever appointed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At 24, he returned to Princeton to assume a full professorship there — a position he still holds. He won the Alan T. Waterman Award
Alan T. Waterman Award
The Alan T. Waterman Award is the United States's highest honorary award for scientists no older than 35. It is awarded on a yearly basis by the National Science Foundation. In addition to the medal, the awardee receives a grant of $500,000 to be used for advanced scientific research at the...
in 1976 (the first mathematician to get the award) and the Fields medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
in 1978 for his work in mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
in 1979. He was appointed the Herbert Jones Professor at Princeton in 1984.
In addition to the above, his honors include the Salem Prize
Salem Prize
The Salem Prize, founded by the widow of Raphael Salem, is awarded every year to a young mathematician judged to have done outstanding work in Salem's field of interest, primarily the theory of Fourier series.-Past winners:...
, the Bôcher Prize, and the Bergman Prize, as well as election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
Fefferman contributed several innovations that revised the study of multidimensional complex analysis by finding correct generalisations of classical low-dimensional results. Fefferman's work on partial differential equations, Fourier analysis, in particular convergence, multipliers, divergence, singular integrals and Hardy spaces earned him a Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
at the International Congress of Mathematicians at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
in 1978.
His early work included a study of the asymptotics of the Bergman kernel
Bergman kernel
In the mathematical study of several complex variables, the Bergman kernel, named after Stefan Bergman, is a reproducing kernel for the Hilbert space of all square integrable holomorphic functions on a domain D in Cn....
off the boundaries of pseudoconvex domains in
. His research to date includes a vast number of key results in diverse areas: mathematical physics, harmonic analysis, fluid dynamics, neural networkNeural network
The term neural network was traditionally used to refer to a network or circuit of biological neurons. The modern usage of the term often refers to artificial neural networks, which are composed of artificial neurons or nodes...
s, geometry, mathematical finance
Mathematical finance
Mathematical finance is a field of applied mathematics, concerned with financial markets. The subject has a close relationship with the discipline of financial economics, which is concerned with much of the underlying theory. Generally, mathematical finance will derive and extend the mathematical...
and spectral analysis, amongst others.
Family
Charles Fefferman and his wife Julie have two daughters, Nina and Lainie. Lainie Fefferman is a nationally recognized composer, taught math at Saint Ann's School (New York City) and holds a degree in music from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. She has an interest in Middle Eastern music. Nina is a computational biologist whose research focuses on applying mathematical models to complex biological systems. Charles Fefferman's brother, Robert Fefferman, is also an accomplished mathematician and currently a Dean at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.