Michel Talagrand awarded the 2024 Abel Prize
CNRS Mathematics (Insmi) extends its warmest congratulations to Michel Talagrand, winner of the 2024 Abel Prize and former CNRS Research Director at the Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu - Paris Rive Gauche (UMR7586 - CNRS, Sorbonne University, Université Paris Cité).
Awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters, the Abel Prize is one of the two most prestigious awards in mathematics, alongside the Fields Medal.
The Abel Prize will be presented to Michel Talagrand by King Harald V of Norway on May 21, 2024.
Revolutionary contributions…
"Mr. Talagrand is an outstanding and highly productive mathematician whose work has transformed probability theory, functional analysis and statistics. He has had a considerable impact on mathematics and its applications", said Lise Øvreås, President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
A member of the French Academy of Sciences, Michel Talagrand was CNRS Research Director at the Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu - Paris Rive Gauche 1 . He has been honored "for his revolutionary contributions to probability theory and functional analysis, with remarkable applications in mathematical physics and statistics".
A student of Gustave Choquet, his scientific contributions cover topics ranging from measurement theory and functional analysis to probability theory and statistical physics. He proved several important conjectures, such as Fernique's conjecture on the regularity of Gaussian processes, the three-space problem for L1, Parisi's formula in spin glass theory, and Maharam's problem in measurement theory. With his original and innovative ideas and methods, Michel Talagrand has left his mark on several fields of mathematics with results and contributions of the highest order.
…at the heart of today's issues
The common theme in Michel Talagrand's groundbreaking discoveries is working with and understanding the random processes we see all around us. The modern world is a constant flow of random events. Understanding this randomness has impacts for everything: from business logistics to condensed matter physics, as well as from weather forecasting to our great linguistic models.
The Abel committee believes that "Mr. Talagrand's mathematical style is atypical. Solving a given problem often leads him to take it apart into small pieces, sometimes almost trivial cases, and digest them deeply. He doesn't hesitate to study simpler problems as springboards to other important discoveries". Michel Talagrand says it's "useful to be humble and start by fully understanding simple universal structures, because they raise important questions. After these steps, the problem studied is better understood, and there is then a potential path to the goal. Patience and technique are then indispensable", he adds.
French President Emmanuel Macron congradulated the laureate, as well as French prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the French Minister of Higher Education and Research Sylvie Retailleau.
Rencontre avec Michel Talagrand, mathématicien, lauréat du Prix Abel 2024 | Actu CNRS
L’Académie norvégienne des sciences et des lettres a décidé d’attribuer le prix Abel 2024 au Français Michel Talagrand, qui a effectué sa carrière de chercheur au CNRS. L’équivalent du prix Nobel des mathématiques lui est décerné « pour ses contributions révolutionnaires à la théorie des probabilités et à l’analyse fonctionnelle, avec des applications remarquables en physique mathématique et en statistique ».
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About the Abel prize
- The award ceremony will take place in Oslo on 21 May 2024
- The Abel Prize is funded by the Norwegian Government and amounts to NOK 7.5 million
- The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and presented by King Harald V
- The choice of the Abel laureate is based on the recommendation of the Abel Committee, which is composed of five internationally recognised mathematicians
- For more information, please visit www.abelprize.no
Tree specific areas awarded
The Abel Prize is given for three specific areas of Talagrand's work:
- Suprema of stochastic processes
- Concentration of measures
- Spin glass
According to Professor Helge Holden, chair of the Abel Committee, "Michel Talagrand is an exceptional mathematician, and a formidable problem solver. He has made profound contributions to our understanding of random, and in particular, Gaussian, processes. His work has reshaped several areas of probability theory. Furthermore, his proof of the celebrated Parisi formula for free energy of spin glasses is an amazing accomplishment".
The Abel Prize joins the dozen or so awards Michel Talagrand has already received over the course of his career, including the Shaw Prize in 2019.
The live announcement of the Abel Prize by King Harald V can be found here, along with congratulations from the Norwegian Prime Minister.
Michel Talagrand's live reaction to winning the 2024 Abel Prize.
Michel Talagrand's live reaction to winning the 2024 Abel Prize.
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The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters press releases
CNRS press release
Agence France-Presse
Quanta magazine
Le Monde
New York Times
France Info
Nature
Sciences et Avenir
BBC
France Inter
HuffingtonPost
Sciences & Vie
Pour la science
Libération
Le Figaro
Le parisien
TF1 Info
RTL
Ouest France
Le Télégramme
Le Point
Futura Sciences
Notes
- UMR7586 – CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité