Ideas

“This therefore, is mathematics: she reminds you of the invisible forms of the soul; she gives light to her own discoveries; she awakens the mind and purifies the intellect; she brings light to our intrinsic ideas; she abolishes oblivion and...

Edward Nelson, Member in the Schools of Mathematics (1956–59, 79–80) and Natural Sciences (1963–64, 67–68, 73–74) and Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University until his death in 2014, was an original thinker best known for successfully...

Jean Bourgain, IBM von Neumann Professor in the School of Mathematics, was bestowed the title of Baron by the Belgian government in July 2015. In association with the honor, Bourgain designed a coat of arms inscribed “In hope against hope.” Bourgain...

Symplectic and contact structures first arose in the study of classical mechanical systems, allowing one to describe the time evolution of both simple and complex systems such as springs, planetary motion, and wave propagation. Understanding the evolution and distinguishing transformations of these systems led to the development of global invariants of symplectic and contact manifolds.

Since 1994 with the support of the National Science Foundation, the Institute, together with Princeton University, has hosted an intensive 11-day mentoring program for undergraduate and graduate women in mathematics.

The program brings together...

In 2016, the Institute celebrated the work and impact of Jean Bourgain, IBM Von Neumann Professor in the School of Mathematics and member of the Faculty since 1994. Recipient of the Fields Medal and the Shaw Prize, among numerous other awards...

Mathematics has a vital role in shaping a product’s life, from research & development to manufacturing, and from marketing to supply chain. In this public lecture, Institute Trustee Sandi Peterson and Kathy Wengel, both Princeton alumnae, explore...

This event celebrates the work and life of Emmy Noether, one of the first Visitors at the Institute from 1933–35. A highly prolific mathematician who published groundbreaking papers in rarefied fields of abstract algebra and ring theory, Noether is...

In 1990, Karen Uhlenbeck, 2019 Abel Prize Laureate, Distinguished Visiting Professor in the School of Mathematics, and co-founder of the Institute’s Women and Mathematics Program, became the second woman to give a Plenary Lecture at the...

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the University of Göttingen was one of the top research centers for mathematics in the world. The mathematician David Hilbert was a well-established professor there, and during the winter semester of 1924...