John Milnor of USA named Winner of Abel Prize for 2011

Renowned mathematician John Milnor of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York was named the winner of the Abel Prize for 2011 by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on 23 March 2011. Milnor was chosen for the prestigious award for pioneering discoveries in topology, geometry and algebra. John Willard Milnor born on 20 February 1931 is an American mathematician known for his work in differential topology, K-theory and dynamical systems as well as for his influential books. His most famous work is his proof in 1956 of the existence of 7-dimensional spheres with nonstandard differential structure.

John Milnor has received many awards and honours. He received the Fields Medal in 1962 for his work in differential topology. He won the National Medal of Science (1967). Recently he was awarded the 2011 Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement by the American Mathematical Society. Milnor has previously won two other Steele Prizes from the AMS: for Mathematical Exposition (2004) and for Seminal Contribution to Research (1982). In 1989 Milnor received the Wolf Prize in Mathematics. John Milnor had received the US National Medal of Science in 1967.
He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1963. Since 1994, he has been a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2004 he became a member of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

The Niels Henrik Abel Memorial Fund was established in 2002 to award the Abel Prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics. The Abel Prize was awarded for the first time in 2003. The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The choice of Abel Laureate is based on the recommendation of the Abel Committee which consists of five internationally recognized mathematicians. The selection committee is currently headed by Ragni Piene. The Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829). It is among the most prestigious awards in mathematics. It comes with a monetary award of six million kroner, which is approx €740000 or US$992000.