Luis Caffarelli
Encyclopedia
Luis A. Caffarelli is an Argentinian
mathematician
and leader in the field of partial differential equations and their applications.
Caffarelli obtained his Masters of Science (1968) and Ph.D. (1972) at the University of Buenos Aires
. He currently holds the Sid Richardson Chair at the University of Texas at Austin
. He also has been a professor at the University of Minnesota
, the University of Chicago
, and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
at New York University
. From 1986 to 1996 he was a permanent member at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton. In 1991 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
. He has been awarded Doctor Honoris Causa from l'École Normale Supérieure
, Paris; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Universidad de La Plata, Argentina. He received the Bôcher Prize in 1984.
Caffarelli received great recognition with his breakthrough paper "The regularity of free boundaries in higher dimensions" published in 1977 in Acta Mathematica
. Since then, he has been considered one of the world's leading experts in free boundary problem
s and nonlinear partial differential equations. He developed several regularity results for fully nonlinear elliptic equations including the Monge-Ampere equation
. He is also famous for his contributions to homogenization. Recently, he has taken an interest in Integro-differential equation
s.
One of his most cited and celebrated results regards the Partial regularity of suitable weak solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, obtained in 1982 in collaboration with Louis Nirenberg
and Robert V. Kohn.
In 2005, he received the prestigious Rolf Schock Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
"for his important contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations". He also received the Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Mathematics in 2009.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
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....
and leader in the field of partial differential equations and their applications.
Caffarelli obtained his Masters of Science (1968) and Ph.D. (1972) at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
. He currently holds the Sid Richardson Chair at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. He also has been a professor at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, 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...
, and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences is an independent division of New York University under the Faculty of Arts & Science that serves as a center for research and advanced training in computer science and mathematics...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. From 1986 to 1996 he was a permanent member at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton. In 1991 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...
. He has been awarded Doctor Honoris Causa from l'École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, Paris; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Universidad de La Plata, Argentina. He received the Bôcher Prize in 1984.
Caffarelli received great recognition with his breakthrough paper "The regularity of free boundaries in higher dimensions" published in 1977 in Acta Mathematica
Acta Mathematica
Acta Mathematica is a journal publishing original research papers in all fields of mathematics. The journal was founded by Gösta Mittag-Leffler in 1882 and is published by Institut Mittag-Leffler, a research institute for mathematics belonging to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences...
. Since then, he has been considered one of the world's leading experts in free boundary problem
Obstacle problem
The obstacle problem is a classic motivating example in the mathematical study of variational inequalities and free boundary problems. The problem is to find the equilibrium position of an elastic membrane whose boundary is held fixed, and which is constrained to lie above a given obstacle...
s and nonlinear partial differential equations. He developed several regularity results for fully nonlinear elliptic equations including the Monge-Ampere equation
Monge-Ampère equation
In mathematics, a Monge–Ampère equation is a nonlinear second order partial differential equation of special kind. A second order equation for the unknown function u of two variables x,y is of Monge–Ampère type if it is linear in the determinant of the Hessian matrix of u and in the second order...
. He is also famous for his contributions to homogenization. Recently, he has taken an interest in Integro-differential equation
Integro-differential equation
An integro-differential equation is an equation which involves both integrals and derivatives of a function.The general first-order, linear integro-differential equation is of the form...
s.
One of his most cited and celebrated results regards the Partial regularity of suitable weak solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, obtained in 1982 in collaboration with Louis Nirenberg
Louis Nirenberg
Louis Nirenberg is a Canadian mathematician, and one of the outstanding analysts of the twentieth century. He has made fundamental contributions to linear and nonlinear partial differential equations and their application to complex analysis and geometry.He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and...
and Robert V. Kohn.
In 2005, he received the prestigious Rolf Schock Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
"for his important contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations". He also received the Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Mathematics in 2009.