Peter Scholze is only the second German to have received the Fields Medal in over 80 years. The first German prize winner was Professor Dr. Gerd Faltings in 1986. He is currently director at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn and board member of the University of Bonn’s Hausdorff Center for Mathematics.
The award is the culmination of a multitude of awards and accolades received by Peter Scholze in recent years. His scientific achievements have been recognized by the Clay Foundation's Clay Fellowship, the Prix Peccot awarded by Collège de France, the Clay Research Award, the Cole Prize for Algebra from the American Mathematical Society, and the Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation. He has also been accepted into four renowned scientific academies.
Mathematics at the Intersection of Number Theory and Geometry
Peter Scholze has fundamentally expanded the range of methods used at the intersection of number theory and geometry, so-called Arithmetic Geometry, through his discovery of perfectoid spaces. These new structures make it possible to interpret integers better than before as geometric entities, in which geometry can also be pursued in an environment of primes - via so-called p-adic numbers. Conversely, new, unexpected conclusions about open number-theoretical questions are made possible.
This award for Peter Scholze is another milestone in the long tradition of mathematics in Bonn, which undoubtedly is one of the biggest and most important centers for mathematical teaching and research in Germany and worldwide. Intertwined in its history are great scholars such as Julius Plücker, Felix Klein, Rudolf Lipschitz, Felix Hausdorff and Otto Toeplitz. Friedrich Hirzebruch made Bonn an international center for mathematics in the 20th century and founded the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn. For decades, the University of Bonn has systematically and sustainably supported and promoted mathematics. Thus, mathematical research forms one of its six key profile areas. Since 2006, the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics has been funded within the framework of the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments as a Cluster of Excellence. This helped make it possible to successfully fund and promote highly talented junior researchers, and to further develop the outstanding environment for mathematical research and teaching at the University of Bonn.
This environment was the decisive reason for Peter Scholze, who comes from Berlin, to choose the University of Bonn as his place of study. Already as a student, he drew attention to his mathematical talent with three gold medals and one silver medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad. The brilliance of the young researcher was recognized worldwide during his doctorate, supervised by academic teacher and mentor, Leibniz award winner Professor Dr. Michael Rapoport. In 2012, the University of Bonn decided to take an extraordinary step. Funded by resources from the Excellence Initiative, the 24-year-old became the youngest W3 professor in Germany and was appointed to a renowned Hausdorff Chair at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics at the University of Bonn. Since then, he has been courted by the best universities worldwide.
Great significance for the University of Bonn
The Rector of the University of Bonn, Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch, emphasizes: "The award and the personal achievement for Peter Scholze is also of great significance to the University of Bonn. Our goal was and is to win the best minds, also and above all outstanding young talents, in respective disciplines for Bonn and to offer them optimal conditions for conducting their research. The exceptional mathematician Peter Scholze is an impressive example of this. Without any doubt, he will continue to shape mathematical research in the future.”
Peter Scholze will continue his research in Bonn: “The conditions here in Bonn are excellent and the international atmosphere is very inspiring," explains the mathematician. In addition to his Hausdorff Chair at the University’s Mathematical Institute, he was recently appointed as Scientific Director of Bonn’s Max Planck Institute for Mathematics.
The Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM) is a Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn, funded by the German Research Foundation within the framework of the Excellence Initiative. It is the only excellence cluster for mathematics in Germany. At HCM, German and international scientists conduct research on numerous mathematical problems and their applications. HCM applies the highest international standards in training junior scientists and actively fosters early independence of young mathematicians. The cluster was founded in 2006 and was renewed in 2012 for a second funding period.
Further information and photos are available at:
http://www.hcm.uni-bonn.de/scholze-background
Contacts for the media:
in Bonn:
Klaus Herkenrath
Press Office for the University of Bonn
Phone: +49 (0)228 73-7647
E-Mail: klaus.herkenrath@uni-bonn.de
currently in Rio de Janeiro:
Stefan Hartmann
Hausdorff Center for Mathematics
University of Bonn
phone: 0151-70021872
E-mail: stefan.hartmann@hcm.uni-bonn.de