Dror Bar-Natan
Encyclopedia
Dror Bar-Natan is a mathematics
professor
at the University of Toronto
, Canada
. His main research interests include knot theory
, finite type invariant
s, and Khovanov homology
.
in 1984. After performing his military service as a teacher, he went to study at Princeton University
in 1987. He obtained his Ph.D.
in mathematics from Princeton in 1991, under the direction of physicist
Edward Witten
.
Assistant Professorhip at Harvard University
for four years from 1991–95, he returned to Israel, and became Associate Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. He moved to the University of Toronto
in 2002, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2006.
that hidden messages could be deciphered from within the bible. In particular, he demonstrated that practically any "code" could be found within the bible, thereby debunking Drosnin's "discovery" of specific codes. This work is outside the main scope of his academic interests, although he is known for it because of the popularity of The Bible Code.
Academically, Bar-Natan has made significant contributions to the formalization of Khovanov homology
.
Bar-Natan is a member of the Editorial Board for the journal Compositio Mathematica
.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His main research interests include knot theory
Knot theory
In topology, knot theory is the study of mathematical knots. While inspired by knots which appear in daily life in shoelaces and rope, a mathematician's knot differs in that the ends are joined together so that it cannot be undone. In precise mathematical language, a knot is an embedding of a...
, finite type invariant
Finite type invariant
In the mathematical theory of knots, a finite type invariant is a knot invariant that can be extended to an invariant of certain singular knots that vanishes on singular knots with m + 1 singularities and does not vanish on some singular knot with 'm' singularities...
s, and Khovanov homology
Khovanov homology
In mathematics, Khovanov homology is an invariant of oriented knots and links that arises as the homology of a chain complex. It may be regarded as a categorification of the Jones polynomial....
.
Education
Bar-Natan earned his B.Sc. in mathematics at Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
in 1984. After performing his military service as a teacher, he went to study at Princeton University
Princeton 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....
in 1987. He obtained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics from Princeton in 1991, under the direction of physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Edward Witten
Edward Witten
Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
.
Professorship
After holding a Benjamin PeirceBenjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics....
Assistant Professorhip at 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...
for four years from 1991–95, he returned to Israel, and became Associate Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. He moved to the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 2002, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2006.
Personal life
Bar-Natan holds both US and Israeli citizenships, and is a permanent resident of Canada. He is married to mathematician Yael Karshon and is the father of two sons, Assaf and Itai.Research
In 1999, Bar-Natan collaborated on a paper with the goal of mathematically refuting claims made in The Bible Code by Michael DrosninMichael Drosnin
Michael Drosnin is an American journalist and author, best known for his writings on the Bible code.Drosnin was born in New York City. He worked as a journalist for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal...
that hidden messages could be deciphered from within the bible. In particular, he demonstrated that practically any "code" could be found within the bible, thereby debunking Drosnin's "discovery" of specific codes. This work is outside the main scope of his academic interests, although he is known for it because of the popularity of The Bible Code.
Academically, Bar-Natan has made significant contributions to the formalization of Khovanov homology
Khovanov homology
In mathematics, Khovanov homology is an invariant of oriented knots and links that arises as the homology of a chain complex. It may be regarded as a categorification of the Jones polynomial....
.
Bar-Natan is a member of the Editorial Board for the journal Compositio Mathematica
Compositio Mathematica
Compositio Mathematica is a bimonthly peer-reviewed mathematics journal established by L.E.J. Brouwer in 1935. It is published by Cambridge University Press. According to the Journal Citation Reports, Compositio had a 2010 impact factor of 0.941, ranking it 54th among 279 journals in the category...
.
Selected Publications
- Bar-Natan, D (1996) On the Vassiliev knot invariants, Topology, Volume 34, Issue 2, April 1995, Pages 423-472