About the speakers

Prof Michael Atiyah has made fundamental contributions to many areas of mathematics, in particular on topology, geometry and analysis. From his first major contribution - topological K-theory - to his more recent work on quantum field theory, Prof Atiyah has been influential in the development of new theoretical tools and has supplied far-reaching insights. He is a notable collaborator, with his name linked with other outstanding mathematicians through their joint research. Prof Atiyah has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Fields Medal in 1966 and the Abel Prize in 2004. He was knighted in 1983 and made a member of the Order of Merit in 1992.

Prof Jean Bourgain is a Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He was a Professor of Mathematics at the Free University of Brussel, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne and at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in Paris. Prof Bougain was awarded the Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences 2010 for his profound work in mathematical analysis and its application to partial differential equations, mathematical physics, combinatorics, number theory, ergodic theory and theoretical computer science. He is a Foreign Member of the Academies of Science of France, Poland and Sweden.

Prof Tony Chan is President of HKUST. He was previously Assistant Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) in charge of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, where he guided and managed research funding of almost HK$10 billion a year in astronomy, physics, chemistry, mathematical science, material science, and multidisciplinary activities. Prof Chan has published over 200 refereed papers and is one of the most cited mathematicians. He is an active member of many scientific societies and has served on the editorial boards of many journals in mathematics and computing.

Institute for Advanced Study
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