Ken Ono
Encyclopedia
Ken Ono is an American
mathematician
who specializes in number theory
, especially in integer partitions, modular forms, and the fields of interest to Srinivasa Ramanujan
. He is currently the Manasse Professor of Letters and Science and the Hilldale Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
As of August 2010, he is the Asa Griggs Candler
Professor of Mathematics at Emory University
.
He received his BA from the University of Chicago
in 1989, and his PhD in 1993 at UCLA
where his advisor was Basil Gordon.
Ono's contributions include several monographs and over 130 research and popular articles in number theory
, combinatorics
, and algebra
. He is considered to be an expert in the theory of integer partitions and modular form
s. In 2000 he 'greatly' expanded Ramanujan's theory of partition congruences
, and in work with Kathrin Bringmann
he has made important contributions to the theory of Maass forms, functions which include Ramanujan's mock theta function
s as examples. In 2007 Don Zagier
gave a Seminar Bourbaki address on the work of Bringmann, Ono, and Zwegers on the mock theta functions. The 2009 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize, awarded to a young mathematician under the age of 32, has been awarded to Kathrin Bringmann for this joint work with Ono.
Ono has received many awards for his research. In April 2000 he received the Presidential Career Award (PECASE
) from Bill Clinton
in a ceremony at the White House, and in June 2005 he received the National Science Foundation
Director's Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award at the National Academy of Science. He has also won a Sloan Fellowship
, a Packard Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship
.
In the 1980s he attended Towson High School
. He left high school early to attend the University of Chicago
and race bicycles. He was a member of the Pepsi
-Miyata
Cycling Team.
His father, Takashi Ono, is also a mathematician.
He recently discovered a finite formula for computing partition numbers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who specializes 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...
, especially in integer partitions, modular forms, and the fields of interest to Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srīnivāsa Aiyangār Rāmānujan FRS, better known as Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan was a Indian mathematician and autodidact who, with almost no formal training in pure mathematics, made extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions...
. He is currently the Manasse Professor of Letters and Science and the Hilldale Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
As of August 2010, he is the Asa Griggs Candler
Asa Griggs Candler
Asa Griggs Candler was an American business tycoon who made his fortune selling Coca-Cola. He also served as the 44th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 1916 to 1919...
Professor of Mathematics at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
.
He received his BA from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1989, and his PhD in 1993 at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
where his advisor was Basil Gordon.
Ono's contributions include several monographs and over 130 research and popular articles 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...
, combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
, and algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
. He is considered to be an expert in the theory of integer partitions and modular form
Modular form
In mathematics, a modular form is a analytic function on the upper half-plane satisfying a certain kind of functional equation and growth condition. The theory of modular forms therefore belongs to complex analysis but the main importance of the theory has traditionally been in its connections...
s. In 2000 he 'greatly' expanded Ramanujan's theory of partition congruences
Ramanujan's congruences
In mathematics, Ramanujan's congruences are some remarkable congruences for the partition function p. The Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan discovered the following*p\equiv 0 \pmod 5*p\equiv 0 \pmod 7...
, and in work with Kathrin Bringmann
Kathrin Bringmann
Kathrin Bringmann is a number theorist in the University of Cologne, Germany and the University of Minnesota, USA who has made fundamental contributions to the theory of mock theta functions. She has been awarded...
he has made important contributions to the theory of Maass forms, functions which include Ramanujan's mock theta function
Mock theta function
In mathematics, a mock modular form is the holomorphic part of a harmonic weak Maass form, anda mock theta function is essentially a mock modular form of weight 1/2. The first examples of mock theta functions were described by Srinivasa Ramanujan in his last 1920 letter to G. H. Hardy and in his...
s as examples. In 2007 Don Zagier
Don Zagier
Don Bernard Zagier is an American mathematician whose main area of work is number theory. He is currently one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, Germany, and a professor at the Collège de France in Paris, France.He was born in Heidelberg, Germany...
gave a Seminar Bourbaki address on the work of Bringmann, Ono, and Zwegers on the mock theta functions. The 2009 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize, awarded to a young mathematician under the age of 32, has been awarded to Kathrin Bringmann for this joint work with Ono.
Ono has received many awards for his research. In April 2000 he received the Presidential Career Award (PECASE
PECASE
The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The White House, following recommendations from participating agencies,...
) from Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in a ceremony at the White House, and in June 2005 he received the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Director's Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award at the National Academy of Science. He has also won a Sloan Fellowship
Sloan Fellowship
The 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....
, a Packard Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.
In the 1980s he attended Towson High School
Towson High School
Towson High School is a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, founded in 1873. The school's current stone structure was built in 1949. Located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson and serving the surrounding communities of Towson, Lutherville, and Ruxton, it is part of the Baltimore...
. He left high school early to attend the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and race bicycles. He was a member of the Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
-Miyata
Miyata
Miyata is a Japanese bicycle and unicycle manufacturer that has been in operation since 1892.Miyata claims to have been the first Japanese manufacturer of flash-butt welded frame tubes and the first to use electrostatic painting ....
Cycling Team.
His father, Takashi Ono, is also a mathematician.
He recently discovered a finite formula for computing partition numbers.
Honors and awards
- National Security Agency Young Investigator (1997)
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1998)
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship (1999)
- David and Lucile Packard Research Fellowship (1999)
- Presidential Early Career Award (awarded by Clinton) (2000)
- National Science Foundation CBMS Distinguished Lecturer (2003)
- John S. Guggenheim Fellowship (2003)
- Manasse Professor of Letters and Science, U. Wisconsin (2004–present)
- National Science Foundation Director's Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award (2005)
- Hilldale Professor of Mathematics, U. Wisconsin (2008–present)
- Candler Professor of Mathematics, Emory University (2010–present)
Editorial Boards
Ono is on the editorial board of eleven journals:- Bulletin of the American Mathematical SocietyBulletin of the American Mathematical SocietyThe Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society is a quarterly mathematical journal published by the American Mathematical Society...
- Communications in Number Theory and Physics
- Integers
- International Journal of Modern Mathematics
- The International Journal of Number Theory
- The International Mathematical Forum
- Involve
- Journal of Combinatorics and Number Theory
- Online Journal of Analytic Combinatorics
- Proceedings of the American Mathematical SocietyProceedings of the American Mathematical SocietyProceedings of the American Mathematical Society is a monthly mathematics journal published by the American Mathematical Society. As a requirement, all articles must be at most 15 printed pages....
- The Ramanujan Journal