Common menu bar links
John L. Synge Award
- 2008 – Henri Darmon, FRSC
- 2006 - Stephen A. Cook, FRSC
- 1999 - George A. Elliott, FRSC
- 1996 - Joel S. Feldman, FRSC
- 1993 - Israel Michael Sigal, FRSC
- 1987 - James G. Arthur, FRSC
Top of Page2008 – Henri Darmon, FRSC
Henri Darmon is among the top few number theorists in Canada. His research is concerned with rational points on elliptic curves. His most visionary work started with his introduction, in 2001, of so-called "Stark-Heegner points. Darmon's conjectures on Stark- Heegner points are remarkable in their originality, and will continue to inspire and guide mathematicians for many years."
2006 - Stephen A. Cook, FRSC
Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
Dr. Cook is recognized internationally for providing a definition for "efficiently computable" and giving mathematical evidence for a number of problems which were unlikely to be efficiently computable. He has made fundamental contributions in complexity theory, the design and analysis of algorithms, logic (notably proof complexity) and programming language semantics. His work is characterized by its creativity and pervasive influence throughout his distinguished 40 year career and he continues to produce seminal contributions on feasible logics and complexity theory.
1999 - George A. Elliott, FRSC
George A. Elliott, Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto, is a mathematician of international reputation. He is one of the leading experts in the field of operator algebras. He has obtained many substantial results, covering almost every aspect of the field. In particular, his remarkable work on derivations, approximately finite-dimensional algebras, C*-K-theory, non-commutative tori, and Schrödinger operators has opened up new dimensions in recent research, and the classification program on which he is now embarked may well prove to have even greater significance yet.
1996 - Joel S. Feldman, FRSC
In collaboration with other top mathematical physicists, Dr. Feldman has made fundamental contributions to constructive quantum field theory, renormalization theory, many fermion theory, the theory of Riemann surfaces and periodic Schroedinger operator theory. His best known early result was the construction of the phi-4 relativistic quantum field theory in three space-time dimensions. He helped develop the powerful phase space cluster expansion which led to the first constructions of interacting quantum field models which are renormalizable but not superrenormalizable. His work in renormalization theory includes the first rigorous proof of the famous result that quantum electrodynamics is perturbatively renormalizable in a gauge consistent way. With Trubowitz and co-workers, he has developed renormalization group machinery capable of controlling many fermion models at low temperature. In particular, they proved local Borel summability for a wide class of models, constructed the first interacting Fermi liquid at zero temperature, and gave the first rigorous analysis of the BCS gap equation for superconductivity. In the theory of Riemann surfaces, they identified a wide class of infinite genus Riemann surfaces to which they extended the classical finite genus theory. One application is a proof that all smooth spatially periodic solutions of the Kadomcev-Petviashvilli equation are almost periodic in time. In an analysis of periodic Schroedinger operators they have shown that, for a generic lattice or for generic boundary conditions, almost all eigenvalues remain almost stationary even under large perturbations of the potential, but there exists an infinite subset of eigenvalues which do move a lot. Characterized by great technical power and clarity of thought, Dr. Feldman's landmark research has settled many long-standing open problems.
1993 - Israel Michael Sigal, FRSC
Israel Michael Sigal, FRSC, is one of Canada's most distinguished mathematicians. His most spectacular achievement has been his proof (with Dr. Soffer) of the asymptotic completeness of multiparticle systems. This work solved a fundamental problem in mathematical physics which had been studied by some of the world's leading mathematicians in both quantum mechanics and differential equations. Dr. Sigal's many other important contributions to mathematical physics include theoretical limits on the number of electrons a nucleus can bind, a theory of bound states in multiparticle systems, and the solution [with Dr. Ivrii (FRSC 1998)] of a long open problem on the ground state energy of molecules.
1987 - James G. Arthur, FRSC
Professor Arthur's principal contribution to mathematics has been his derivation of the Sleberg trace formula for groups of rank higher than one, an important device in the analytic theory of automorphic forms. He has spent the best part of his scientific career developing the tools necessary for the exploitation of the trace formula, including his PaleyWiever theorem and his formula contributions in their own right. These distinguished works have made him a significant contributor to the contemporary trend toward unification in the highest levels of pure mathematics, where it is now not possible to disentangle any one aspect--analysis, algebraic geometry, algebra, topology or manifold theory--from the combined whole. His recent work on general linear groups and problems suggested by the trace formula has been praised for its progress towards a resolution of Artin's conjecture on the integral characters of L functions, and has influenced many active researchers in this primary field of the highest mathematics. Professor Arthur is authoritatively regarded as perhaps the best and most immediately influential mathematician now active in Canada.