Edward Witten Receives Pitagora Prize For Mathematics

Edward Witten, Charles Simonyi Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, has won the 2005 Pitagora Prize for mathematics. This international prize, sponsored by the European Union, is administered by the city of Crotone in Southern Italy. Crotone was the location of the renowned school founded by the 6th c. B.C. philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, who created the Pythagorean table and formulated the theorem for right-angled triangles. At Pythagoras' school, both men and women were allowed to study, which was unique in those times.

In announcing the Prize, it was noted, "Witten's work, especially his work on string theory, has had a vast impact on contemporary mathematics. On many occasions, Witten has surprised the mathematical community by applying his brilliant physical intuition to solve new and deep problems. Thanks to Witten's research, physics has again become an inexhaustible source of inspirations and ideas in mathematics."

Edward Witten was appointed to the Faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study in 1987, and was named Charles Simonyi Professor in 1997. His work exhibits a unique combination of mathematical power and physics insight, and his contributions have greatly enriched both fields. He is largely responsible for the modern interest in superstrings as a candidate theory for unification of all known physical interactions. Most recently, Witten has explored quantum duality symmetries of field theories and string theories, opening significant new perspectives on particle physics, string theory, and topology.

The Prize of $50,000 Euros will be presented during a ceremony in Crotone on November 12.