Masaki Kashiwara Wins 2018 Kyoto Prize

Masaki Kashiwara has been awarded the 2018 Kyoto Prize for his outstanding contributions to modern mathematics.

AsianScientist (Jun. 29, 2018) – Professor Masaki Kashiwara has been selected to receive the 2018 Kyoto Prize, an international award presented to individuals who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of humankind.

Kashiwara was recognized for his outstanding contributions to a broad spectrum of modern mathematics, in particular, the establishment of the theory of D-modules, the core of algebraic analysis. Another of Kashiwara’s achievements is the construction of the Riemann-Hilbert correspondence, where he integrated geometry and algebraic analyses to obtain an elegant solution to problems relating to differential equations.

Kashiwara has also solved other complex mathematical problems, including the Kazhdan-Lusztig conjecture and the theory of crystal bases of quantum groups. His findings have helped shape the field of modern mathematics and are expected to remain influential to the development of the mathematical sciences.

The Kyoto Prize presentation ceremony will be held in Kyoto, Japan, on November 10, 2018. Each laureate will receive a diploma, the Kyoto Prize medal and prize money of 100 million yen. In addition to Kashiwara, Dr. Karl Deisseroth, professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Stanford University, and Ms. Joan Jonas, professor emerita of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were acknowledged for their contributions to biotechnology and the arts, respectively.

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Source: Inamori Foundation; Photo: RIMS-Kyoto University.
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