IAS Scholars Win 2020 Breakthrough Prizes

Alex Eskin, a frequent Member in the School of Mathematics who is returning for the 2019–20 academic year, has been awarded the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

Eskin is recognized for revolutionary discoveries in the dynamics and geometry of moduli spaces of Abelian differentials, including the proof of the “magic wand theorem” with Maryam Mirzakhani, 2014 Fields Medalist and former Member (2015) in the School. Eskin earned a Ph.D. at Princeton University, where he was advised by Peter Sarnak, Professor in the IAS School of Mathematics.

The 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics goes to the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, which is cited for the first image of a supermassive black hole, taken by means of an Earth-sized alliance of telescopes. The 347 scientists honored for their part in the collaboration include Lia Medeiros, 2019–20 Member in the School of Natural Sciences, as well as former Members in the School: Project Scientist Dimitrios Psaltis (2001–03); Buell Jannuzi (1990–95); Charles Gammie (2006–07); Ramesh Narayan (1987–88, 1994, 2001, and School of Mathematics Visitor, 1989); and Feryal Özel (2002–05).

The 2020 New Horizons in Mathematics Prize has been awarded to Emmy Murphy, 2019–20 von Neumann Fellow in the School of Mathematics, and the 2020 New Horizons in Physics Prize has been awarded to Simon Caron-Huot, Long-term Member (2009–14) in the School of Natural Sciences, with Pedro Vieira.

Laureates will be recognized at the eighth annual Breakthrough Prize gala awards ceremony on Sunday, November 3. The event will be broadcast live on National Geographic.

The Breakthrough Prizes are sponsored by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Ma Huateng, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. Winners in each field are chosen by selection committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates.

Read more at the Breakthrough Prize.