Peter B. Kronheimer and Tomasz Mrowka Awarded 2023 Steele Prize

Past Members in the School of Mathematics Peter B. Kronheimer (1987–89) and Tomasz Mrowka (2003–04) have received the 2023 Leroy P. Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research. They are recognized for their paper “Gauge theory for embedded surfaces, I,” which, since its publication in 1993, has played a central role in gauge theory and low-dimensional topology.

Kroneheimer, who is currently William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard, received his Ph.D. in 1987 under the supervision of Michael Atiyah, past IAS Faculty (1969–72) and frequent Member. He is the recipient of numerous prizes from the London Mathematical Society and the AMS and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1997. 

Mrowka, who is Singer Professor of Mathematics at MIT, received his P.h.D. in 1988, advised by Clifford Taubes. At MIT, he has been head of the Department of Mathematics, chair of graduate studies, and chair of the pure mathematics committee. He has received fellowships from the Sloan Foundation, Radcliffe Institute, Guggenheim Foundation, and Simons Foundation. 

The prize, awarded by the American Mathematical Society (AMS), is bestowed for a paper that has proven to be fundamental to its field. It is awarded according to a rotating set of subject areas, with this year’s being "Geometry/Topology."

Kronheimer and Mrowka responded to the honor by thanking their families and “the community of mathematicians whose ideas formed the background for [their] own work and whose contributions have led to such vigorous and unexpected growth in this field,” in addition to the Oberwolfach Foundation and the AMS.

Founded in 1888, the AMS works to service the interests of mathematical research through publications, meetings, advocacy, and various programs.