NYU Mathematician Peter Sarnak Awarded 2003 AMS Conant Prize

New York -Peter Sarnak, professor of mathematics at the Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences of New York University, was selected as one of two winners of this year's prestigious Conant Prize, awarded by the American Mathematical Society (AMS). The Conant Prize recognizes an outstanding expository paper published in either the "Notices of the AMS" (http://www.ams.org/notices) or the "Bulletin of the AMS" (http://www.ams.org/bulletin) in the preceding five years. The prize was awarded at the AMS Joint Mathematics Meetings in Baltimore, Maryland.

Professor Sarnak was selected for his paper "Zeroes of zeta functions and symmetry," (Bulletin of the AMS 36 (1) 1-26 (1999)), which he authored together with Nicholas Katz, Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University. The paper presents a mix of intensive numerical exploration, conjectures, and theorems.

Charles Newman, acting director of the Courant Institute, said, "Peter Sarnak is an outstanding mathematician and a world leader in the field of number theory. His selection as co-winner of this year's AMS Conant Prize is further testimony to the merit of his research and exposition, as well as the overall standard of excellence at NYU's Courant Institute."

Dr. Sarnak's research focuses on the theory of zeta functions and automorphic forms with applications to number theory, combinatorics, and mathematical physics. He received his B.Sc. at the University of Witwatersrand and his PhD at Stanford University. He is an editor of a number of journals including Duke Mathematics Journal, Geometric and Functional Analysis, and Annals of Mathematics.

Dr. Sarnak has received various honors and distinctions, including a Sloan Fellowship, the National Science Foundation's Presidential Young Investigator award, the Polya Prize of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the Ostrowski Prize. He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in May 2002.

Dr. Sarnak is also currently a part time faculty member at Princeton University.

The Courant Institute of New York University is one of the world's leading centers of research and education in the mathematical sciences, encompassing pure and applied mathematics, computer science, and scientific computation. It was founded in 1952 by Richard Courant.

New York University, which was established in 1831, is one of the largest and most prestigious private research universities in the U.S. It has more international students than any other U.S. college or university. Through its 13 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, dentistry, education, nursing, business, social work, the cinematic and performing arts, public administration and policy, and continuing studies, among other areas.

01/21/03