Who is Manjul Bhargava? Check his Harvard and Princeton Roots!

Manjul Bhargava is one of the world's most celebrated mathematicians, recognised for his profound and original contributions to the field of number theory. He recently stated that within a year or two, AI models will be capable of correctly solving any undergraduate science problem as well. This recent statement by him captured the attention of the scientific community, and he expressed confidently that AI is on the brink of a "quantum leap."  

His discoveries always had significant implications for the future of education and scientific research. Moreover, he holds various professorships at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and the University of Hyderabad in addition to being the Brandon Fradd, Class of 1983, Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University and the Stieltjes Professor of Number Theory at Leiden University. In this article, learn more about his early life, education, and achievements. 

Check Out: List of Famous Indian mathematicians from Ancient to Modern India

What was his Early Life?

He was born on August 8, 1974, in Hamilton, Ontario. He grew up in Long Island, New York, and his passion for mathematics became stronger at a young age. Her mother, Meera Bhargava, was a mathematics professor who was her ideal inspiration to achieve something in the world of mathematics. Born to Indian parents, their unique perspective, which mixes their legacy with their educational training, has given rise to creative successes that have re-shaped the entire domain of mathematics.

By the age of 14, he had already completed his high school's full curriculum in math and computer science. His deep connection to his Indian roots was also a significant influence, as he studied classical tabla under masters and learned Sanskrit from his grandfather, a professor of ancient Indian history. These influences would later inspire some of his most creative mathematical approaches.

Where did Manjul Bhargava receive his Education?

Bhargava's academic journey led him to Harvard University, where he graduated with a degree in mathematics in 1996. As an undergraduate, his research was so groundbreaking that he was awarded the Morgan Prize, the highest honor for undergraduate mathematicians in North America. 

He then pursued his Ph.D. at Princeton University under the mentorship of the legendary Sir Andrew Wiles, famed for his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. His doctoral thesis would lay the groundwork for his most famous discoveries.

What are his Achievements and Discoveries?

Bhargava's work is always able to make history, and even in number theory as well. It is his most celebrated achievement, which earned him the prestigious Fields Medal in 2014. It was his development of powerful new methods in the geometry of numbers.

• Higher Composition Laws: In his Ph.D. thesis, Bhargava generalized the 200-year-old law of composition for quadratic forms developed by Carl Friedrich Gauss. He discovered 14 new composition laws, using an elegant and simple method inspired by a Rubik's Cube.

• Counting Number Fields: His work provided revolutionary new techniques for counting fundamental arithmetic objects in number theory, such as rings and fields.

• Elliptic Curves: He also made significant progress on a central problem in mathematics by developing a method to bound the average rank of elliptic curves, which are crucial in both pure mathematics and cryptography.

His contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India in 2015.

Check Out: Who Invented Math? Know All About the Father of Mathematics

What are his Recent Contributions in AI?

Recently, he turned his attention towards the future of Science and technology. His basic work in number theory is as effective as usual. As mentioned in its address at the Indian Institute of Science Convocation, they believe that rapid progress in Artificial Intelligence will soon allow the AI model to strengthen any graduate-level science problem.

It presents a challenge and an opportunity for the education system, which encourages a change away from learning to promote creative, interdisciplinary thinking.