Bjorn Poonen
Encyclopedia
Bjorn Mikhail Poonen is a mathematician, four-time Putnam Competition
winner and currently the Claude Shannon Professor of Mathematics at MIT.
His research is primarily in number theory
and algebraic geometry
, but he has occasionally published in other subjects such as probability
and computer science
.
He has edited two books,
and his research articles have been cited by approximately 300 distinct authors.
He is the founding managing editor of the journal Algebra & Number Theory
, and serves also on the editorial boards of Involve
, the Journal of the American Mathematical Society
, the London Mathematical Society
Journal of Computation and Mathematics, and the A K Peters Research Notes in Mathematics book series.
He then studied under Kenneth Alan Ribet
at the University of California, Berkeley
,
completing a Ph.D. there in 1994.
and served on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley
from 1997 to 2008, before moving to MIT.
He has also held visiting positions at the Isaac Newton Institute
(1998 and 2005), the Université Paris-Sud
(2001), Harvard University
(2007), and MIT (2007).
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...
winner and currently the Claude Shannon Professor of Mathematics at MIT.
His research is primarily in number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
and algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...
, but he has occasionally published in other subjects such as probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
.
He has edited two books,
and his research articles have been cited by approximately 300 distinct authors.
He is the founding managing editor of the journal Algebra & Number Theory
Algebra & Number Theory
Algebra & Number Theory is a peer-reviewed mathematics journal published by the nonprofit organization Mathematical Sciences Publishers....
, and serves also on the editorial boards of Involve
Involve, a Journal of Mathematics
Involve, a Journal of Mathematics is a journal published by the nonprofit organization Mathematical Sciences Publishers, in both print and electronic formats....
, the Journal of the American Mathematical Society
Journal of the American Mathematical Society
The Journal of the American Mathematical Society , is a quarterly, peer reviewed, mathematical journal published by the American Mathematical Society. The editors are Weinan E, Sergey Fomin, Gregory Lawler, John W. Morgan, Karl Rubin, and Terence Tao...
, the London Mathematical Society
London Mathematical Society
-See also:* American Mathematical Society* Edinburgh Mathematical Society* European Mathematical Society* List of Mathematical Societies* Council for the Mathematical Sciences* BCS-FACS Specialist Group-External links:* * *...
Journal of Computation and Mathematics, and the A K Peters Research Notes in Mathematics book series.
Education
In 1989, Poonen graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in Mathematics and Physics, summa cum laude.He then studied under Kenneth Alan Ribet
Kenneth Alan Ribet
Kenneth Alan "Ken" Ribet is an American mathematician, currently a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. His mathematical interests include algebraic number theory and algebraic geometry....
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
,
completing a Ph.D. there in 1994.
Academic positions
Poonen held postdoctoral positions at MSRI and Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and served on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
from 1997 to 2008, before moving to MIT.
He has also held visiting positions at the Isaac Newton Institute
Isaac Newton Institute
The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an international research institute for mathematics and theoretical physics. Part of the University of Cambridge, it is named after one of the university's most illustrious figures, the mathematician and natural philosopher Sir Isaac Newton....
(1998 and 2005), the Université Paris-Sud
Paris-Sud 11 University
University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris XI is a French university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburb of Paris...
(2001), Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(2007), and MIT (2007).
Major honors and awards
- David and Lucile Packard FellowshipDavid and Lucile Packard FoundationThe David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private foundation that provides grants to not-for-profit organizations. It was created in 1964 by David Packard and his wife Lucile Salter Packard. Following David Packard's death in 1996, the Foundation became the beneficiary of part of his estate...
- Sloan Research FellowshipSloan FellowshipThe Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This is distinct from the Sloan Fellows in business....
- William Lowell Putnam Mathematical CompetitionWilliam Lowell Putnam Mathematical CompetitionThe William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...
: winner in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988 (the only other four-time winners since 1938 are Don CoppersmithDon CoppersmithDon Coppersmith is a cryptographer and mathematician. He was involved in the design of the Data Encryption Standard block cipher at IBM, particularly the design of the S-boxes, strengthening them against differential cryptanalysis...
, Arthur RubinArthur RubinArthur Leonard Rubin is an American mathematician.-Biography:As an undergraduate he placed among the top five competitors in the William Lowell Putnam Competition on four occasions , a feat matched by only six other undergraduate students since the first competition in 1938...
, Ravi D. Vakil, Gabriel Carroll, Reid W. BartonReid W. BartonReid W. Barton was one of the most successful performers in the International Science Olympiads. He is an MIT alumnus.- Biography:Barton is the son of two environmental engineers...
, and Daniel Kane). - International Mathematical OlympiadInternational Mathematical OlympiadThe International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
: silver medalist in 1985. - American High School Mathematics ExaminationAmerican Mathematics CompetitionsThe American Mathematics Competitions are the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad . This team, consisting of six high school students, competes in the IMO and has traditionally performed well...
: only participant (out of 380,000) to receive a perfect score in 1985.
Trivia
- He co-authored a paper entitled "How to spread rumors fast".
- His Erdős-Bacon numberErdos-Bacon numberA person's Erdős–Bacon number is the sum of one's Erdős number—which measures the "collaborative distance" in authoring mathematical papers between that person and Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős—and one's Bacon number—which represents the number of links, through roles in...
is 5: he co-authored scholarly articles with Andrew GranvilleAndrew GranvilleAndrew James Granville is a British mathematician, working in the field of number theory.He has been a faculty member at the Université de Montréal since 2002. Before moving to Montreal he was a mathematics professor at University of Georgia from 1991 until 2002...
, Wen-Ch'ing Winnie Li, Andrew OdlyzkoAndrew OdlyzkoAndrew Michael Odlyzko is a mathematician and a former head of the University of Minnesota's Digital Technology Center.In the field of mathematics he has published extensively on analytic number theory, computational number theory, cryptography, algorithms and computational complexity,...
, and Peter WinklerPeter WinklerPeter Mann Winkler is a noted research mathematician, author of more than 125 research papers in mathematics and patent holder in a broad range of applications, ranging from cryptography to marine navigation...
, all of whom have Erdős numberErdos numberThe Erdős number describes the "collaborative distance" between a person and mathematician Paul Erdős, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers.The same principle has been proposed for other eminent persons in other fields.- Overview :...
1; and he appeared in the documentary Julia Robinson and Hilbert's Tenth Problem narrated by Danica McKellarDanica McKellarDanica Mae McKellar is an American actress, academic, and education advocate. She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years, and later as author of the three The New York Times bestsellers, Math Doesn't Suck, Kiss My Math, and Hot X: Algebra Exposed, which...
, who has Bacon number 2.