The recent news reveals that the Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from developing countries has been awarded to Professor Neena Gupta. Professor Gupta is a distinguished mathematician at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and has been recognized for her outstanding contribution in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. Remarkably, she is only the third woman to have achieved this feat. She had previously received the 2014 Young Scientists Award of the Indian National Science Academy, courtesy of her remarkable solution for solving the Zariski cancellation problem, a fundamental issue in Algebraic Geometry.
About The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians
The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from developing countries is an annual award that has been awarded since 2005. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the International Mathematical Union (IMU) administers it. It celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to mathematics, particularly from developing nations.
ICTP: The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Founded by the late Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam in 1964, the ICTP aims to empower scientists from developing countries with ongoing education and the necessary skills to enjoy rewarding and prosperous careers.
IMU: The International Mathematical Union
As an international non-profit and non-governmental scientific organization, the IMU is devoted to promoting international cooperation in the field of mathematics. It is also a notable member of the International Science Council (ISC).
DST: Department of Science and Technology
Funding the Prize since 2014, DST awards this honor in memory of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a prodigy in pure mathematics. Primarily self-taught, Ramanujan made remarkable contributions to various fields like elliptic functions, infinite series, continued fractions, and the analytical theory of numbers.
Eligibility and Prize Details
This prestigious prize is given to a researcher from a developing country under 45 years of age as of December 31st of the award year, who has accomplished exceptional research work in a developing country. Researchers working across all branches of mathematical sciences can apply for this prize, which comes with a cash award of USD 15,000.
Srinivasa Ramanujan: The Legacy
Srinivasa Ramanujan, born on December 22nd, 1887 in Erode, a village 400 km from Chennai (then known as Madras), was an extraordinary mathematician. His talent was recognized in 1913 by famous British mathematician Godfrey Harold Hardy, who then invited him to Cambridge. Ramanujan made significant contributions to the analytical theory of numbers, worked on elliptic functions, partition of the whole number, hypergeometric series, and Euler’s constant. His research papers were published in leading English and European journals and, in 1918, Ramanujan was elected to the Royal Society of London. He died young at 32 on April 26th, 1920, shortly after returning to India after battling a prolonged illness. Today, Ramanujan’s birthday on December 22nd is celebrated as National Mathematics Day in India in his memory.