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Fellows Directory

Jean-Pierre Serre

Jean-Pierre Serre

Professor Jean-Pierre Serre ForMemRS

Foreign Member

Elected: 1974

Biography

Jean-Pierre Serre is a Fields Medal-winning French mathematician who has made significant contributions in the fields of algebraic geometry, number theory and topology. Jean-Pierre’s work has successfully established a new foundation for algebraic geometry and commutative algebra.

Highlights of Jean-Pierre’s research include his work on computing the homotopy groups of spheres and his contributions to Galois representations, which helped to pave the way to the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. In addition, he is the author of a number of popular books on mathematics.

Jean-Pierre has received many accolades in recognition of his work, including the Fields Medal in 1954, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics in 2000 and the first Abel Prize, in 2003. He has also been elected to the membership of a variety of other prestigious scientific organisations, including the American Mathematical Society, the French Académie des sciences and the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.

Awards

  • Abel Prize

    For playing a key role in shaping the modern form of many parts of mathematics, including topology, algebraic geometry and number theory.

  • Balzan Prize

    For mathematics.

  • Fields Medal

    Achieved major results on the homotopy groups of spheres, especially in his use of the method of spectral sequences. Reformulated and extended some of the main results of complex variable theory in terms of sheaves.

  • Wolf Prize

    In the field of mathematics for his many fundamental contributions to topology, algebraic geometry, algebra, and number theory and for his inspirational lectures and writing.

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