Jean Bourgain, Problem-Conquering Mathematician, Is Dead at 64

The New York Times remembers Jean Bourgain, Professor in the School of Mathematics, who passed away in Bonheiden, Belgium, on December 22, at the age of 64.

"He was a problem solver unequaled," says Peter Sarnak, also a Professor in the School. "There would be some big mountain in front of you, and he would ascend halfway up, occasionally all the way up. People couldn’t understand how he got all the way up. It would take often months or years for people to understand his proofs. He liked the idea that he was way ahead and people were catching up to him all the time. He would open these doors."

Read more at the New York Times.