Richard Schoen wins 2017 Wolf Prize in mathematics

Richard Schoen has been awarded the 2017 Wolf Prize in mathematics for his contributions to geometric analysis and the understanding of the interconnectedness of partial differential equations and differential geometry. The UCI professor of mathematics, who holds the department’s Excellence in Teaching Chair, is among eight Wolf Prize laureates this year from the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Winners will be feted at a state ceremony in June at the Israeli Knesset. The prize, which comes with $100,000, has been bestowed annually since 1978 to exceptional figures in agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine and physics. “I’m delighted to be chosen to receive the 2017 Wolf Prize,” Schoen said. “It’s especially great that I can bring this honor to UCI and the mathematics department here, which is on an upward trajectory because of the great effort of the faculty to excel at its research and teaching missions.” Kenneth Janda, dean of UCI’s School of Physical Sciences, said: “Professor Schoen is widely recognized as one of the world’s outstanding scholars, and we’re happy to have him as a colleague. The Wolf Prize – often considered second in importance to the Nobel Prize – adds international prestige to the mathematics department, the School of Physical Sciences and UCI.” A member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Schoen is currently serving a three-year term as vice president of the American Mathematical Society.