Four IAS Scholars Honored with Basic Science Lifetime Awards
The International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS) has announced their 2025 Basic Science Lifetime Award laureates; four of the six are past IAS Members. Shigefumi Mori, Member (1981–82) in the School of Mathematics; George Lusztig, Member (1969–71, 1988, 2020) and Distinguished Visiting Professor in the School (1998–99); Robert Tarjan, Member (1990) in the School; and David Jonathan Gross, Member (1973–74, 1977–78) in the School of Natural Sciences, have received the prestigious award. The honor recognizes scientists who have brought about “fundamental change” in their fields over the course of the past thirty years or more.
Mori is recognized for his “groundbreaking contributions to algebraic geometry,” including the Minimal Model Program, which allowed for “the classification of three-dimensional algebraic varieties by introducing controlled singularities.” His influence has “shaped the discipline and inspired generations of mathematicians.” Beyond the blackboard, Mori has also been deeply engaged in the international mathematical community. He has served as President of the International Mathematical Union, being elected in 2015.
Lusztig is a foremost scholar in representation theory, whose work has “transformed the landscape of representation theory, algebraic geometry, and related fields.” Lauded for his “pioneering work” in Deligne-Lusztig theory—named for him and Pierre Deligne, Professor Emeritus in the School of Mathematics—and his development of Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials, Lusztig has pushed the boundaries of mathematical knowledge. In recognition of his contributions, Lusztig also received the 2022 Wolf Prize in Mathematics.
Tarjan, who ICBS dubbed “a trailblazer in computer science and engineering,” has made contributions to graph algorithms and data structures that have “fundamentally reshaped the field of information science.” His most significant work has been in the design and analysis of efficient algorithms and data structures. These algorithms are “widely used in applications from network analysis to compiler design.”
Cited for his “groundbreaking contributions” to understanding the fundamental forces of nature, Gross is a pioneering theoretical physicist. In 1973, he discovered the property of asymptotic freedom in quantum chromodynamics. As a result, he was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics along with his co-authors Frank Wilczek, Faculty (1989–2000) in the School of Natural Sciences, and David Politzer. Gross has also made significant contributions to elementary particle physics and string theory, helping to unravel “the deepest mysteries of the universe.”
Basic Science Lifetime Awards are awarded to “extraordinary scientists” whose work is both outstanding and innovative. They recognize “great advances in basic science” while encouraging scientists to remain “bold and curious in their scientific endeavors and pursuit of truth.”
Read more about the award on the International Congress of Basic Science website.
