Akshay Venkatesh: Difference between revisions

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'''Akshay Venkatesh''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS}} (born 21 November 1981) is an [[Australia]]n [[mathematics|mathematician]] and a professor (since 15 August 2018) at the School of Mathematics at the [[Institute for Advanced Study]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ias.edu/scholars/venkatesh|title=Akshay Venkatesh|website=Institute for Advanced Study|language=en|access-date=2019-08-07}}</ref> His research interests are in the fields of [[counting]], [[equidistribution]] problems in [[automorphic form]]s and [[number theory]], in particular [[representation theory]], [[locally symmetric space]]s, [[ergodic theory]], and [[algebraic topology]].<ref name = CMI>{{cite web|url=http://www.claymath.org/people/akshay-venkatesh|title=Akshay Venkatesh|website=claymath.org|access-date=4 August 2018|date=2 August 2018|publisher=[[Clay Mathematics Institute]]}}</ref>

In 2018, he was awarded the [[Fields Medal]] for his synthesis of [[analytic number theory]], [[Ergodic theory|homogeneous dynamics]], [[topology]], and [[representation theory]].<ref name = FieldsMedalIMU /><ref name = FieldsMedalLongCitation /> He is the second Australian<ref name = GuardianFieldsMedal /> and the second person of Indian descent to win the Fields Medal.<ref name = IndiaTVNews>{{cite news|title = Indian-origin mathematician Akshay Venkatesh maths 'Nobel' Fields Medal|url = https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world-indian-origin-mathematician-akshay-venkatesh-maths-nobel-fields-medal-455918|date = 2 August 2018|access-date = 4 August 2018|publisher = [[India TV|India TV News]]}}</ref> He was on the Mathematical Sciences jury for the [[Infosys Prize]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Infosys Prize - Jury 2020|url=http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com/prize/jury/jury-2020.asp|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.infosys-science-foundation.com}}</ref>  

Venkatesh was born in [[Delhi]], India and his family emigrated to [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] in [[Western Australia]] when he was two years old. He attended [[Scotch College, Perth|Scotch College]]. His mother, [[Svetha Venkatesh|Svetha]], is a [[computer science]] professor at [[Deakin University]]. A [[child prodigy]], Venkatesh attended extracurricular training classes for gifted students in the state mathematical olympiad program,<ref>{{cite web|first = Phill|last = Schultz|title = My Automathography &ndash; 30 Years at UWA|url = http://staffhome.ecm.uwa.edu.au/~00003428/memoirs.html|date = 24 January 2005|access-date = 4 August 2018|publisher = [[University of Western Australia]]|archive-date = 24 March 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150324013335/http://staffhome.ecm.uwa.edu.au/~00003428/memoirs.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> and in 1993, whilst aged only 11, he competed at the 24th [[International Physics Olympiad]] in [[Williamsburg, Virginia]], winning a bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yalcineli.com/yeni_sayfa_15.htm |title=XXIV International Physics Olympiad Williamsburg |year=1993 |access-date=7 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205013210/http://www.yalcineli.com/yeni_sayfa_15.htm |archive-date=5 February 2012 }}</ref> The following year, he switched his attention to mathematics and, after placing second in the [[Australian Mathematical Olympiad]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amt.edu.au/amo1994.html|title=Highest AMO scorers, 1994|publisher=Australian Mathematics Trust|access-date=7 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324184829/http://www.amt.edu.au/amo1994.html|archive-date=24 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> he won a silver medal in the 6th [[Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amt.edu.au/apmo1994.html|title=Results of 6th Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad 1994|publisher=Australian Mathematics Trust|access-date=7 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429112914/http://www.amt.edu.au/apmo1994.html|archive-date=29 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> before winning a bronze medal at the 1994 [[International Mathematical Olympiad]] held in Hong Kong.<ref name = AustralianIMOteams /> He completed his secondary education the same year, turning 13 before entering the [[University of Western Australia]] as its youngest ever student.  Venkatesh completed the four year course in three years and became, at 16, the youngest person to earn [[First Class Honours]] in [[pure mathematics]] from the University.<ref name = AustralianIMOteams />  He was awarded the J. A. Woods Memorial Prize as the most outstanding graduate of the year from the Faculties of Science, Engineering, Dentistry, or Medical Science.<ref>{{cite web|publisher = [[University of Western Australia]]|title = Conditions &ndash; J. A. Wood Memorial Prizes [F1495-03]|url = http://apps.weboffice.uwa.edu.au/prizes-app/file/Conditions%20-%20J%20A%20Wood%20Memorial%20Prizes.RTF|access-date = 4 August 2018|date = 3 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title = UWA maths prodigy wins international award|date = 2 August 2018|access-date = 4 August 2018|first = David|last = Stacey|url = http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/2018080210831/uwa-maths-prodigy-wins-international-award|publisher = [[University of Western Australia]]}}</ref>  While at UWA he was also one of the founding members of the Honours Cricket Association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maths.uwa.edu.au/~marty/HCA/cricket.html|title=Honours Cricket Association|publisher=Honours Cricket Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021213040145/http://www.maths.uwa.edu.au/~marty/HCA/cricket.html|access-date=22 August 2019|archive-date=13 December 2002}}</ref>

== Research Career ==

Akshay commenced his PhD at [[Princeton University]] in 1998 under [[Peter Sarnak]], which he completed in 2002,<ref name = CMI /> producing the thesis ''Limiting forms of the trace formula''. He was supported by the Hackett Fellowship for postgraduate study. He was then awarded a postdoctoral position at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], where he served as a [[C.L.E. Moore instructor]]. Venkatesh then held a Clay Research Fellowship from the [[Clay Mathematics Institute]] from 2004 to 2006,<ref name = CMI /> and was an associate professor at the [[Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences]] at [[New York University]].<ref name = IASprofile /><ref>{{cite web|title=Akshay Venkatesh &ndash; Research Interests|access-date=4 August 2018|url=http://math.stanford.edu/~akshay/research/research.html|publisher=[[Stanford University]]|website=math.stanford.edu}}</ref>  He was a member of the School of Mathematics at the [[Institute for Advanced Study]] (IAS) from 2005 to 2006.  He became a [[full professor]] at [[Stanford University]] on 1 September 2008. After serving as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the IAS in 2017-2018,<ref name = IASprofile>{{cite web|url=https://www.ias.edu/scholars/venkatesh|title=Akshay Venkatesh|publisher=[[Institute for Advanced Study]]|access-date=4 August 2018|year = 2018}}</ref> he returns to the IAS as a permanent faculty member in mid-August 2018.<ref name = IASPressRelease>{{cite press release|url=https://www.ias.edu/press-releases/2018/venkatesh|title=Mathematician Akshay Venkatesh Appointed to the Faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study|publisher=[[Institute for Advanced Study]]|access-date=6 August 2018|year = 2018}}</ref>

The long citation for his Fields Medal describes Venkatesh as having "made profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics" and recognises that he "solved many longstanding problems by combining methods from seemingly unrelated areas, presented novel viewpoints on classical problems, and produced strikingly far-reaching conjectures."<ref name = FieldsMedalLongCitation /><ref>{{cite media release |url=https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/australian-mathematician-wins-fields-medal |title=Australian mathematician wins Fields Medal |date=3 August 2018 |publisher=[[Australian Academy of Science]] |access-date=4 August 2018| website = science.org.au}}</ref> Venkatesh's "use of dynamics theory, which studies the equations of moving objects to solve problems in number theory, which is the study of whole numbers, integers and prime numbers" was recognised in the award.<ref name = GuardianFieldsMedal /> "His work uses representation theory, which represents abstract algebra in terms of more easily-understood linear algebra, and topology theory, which studies the properties of structures that are deformed through stretching or twisting, like a Möbius strip."<ref name = GuardianFieldsMedal /> He described his work in 2016 as "looking for new patterns in the arithmetic of numbers".<ref name = GuardianFieldsMedal /> On receiving the award, which is presented every four years, Venkatesh said "A lot of the time when you do math, you're stuck, but at the same time there are all these moments where you feel privileged that you get to work with it. You have this sensation of transcendence, you feel like you've been part of something really meaningful."<ref name = GuardianFieldsMedal>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/02/australian-akshay-venkatesh-wins-fields-medal-the-nobel-for-maths |title=Australian Akshay Venkatesh wins Fields medal – the 'Nobel for maths' |first=Naaman |last=Zhou |date=2 August 2018 |work=[[Guardian Australia]] |access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>

In a series of joint works with [[Manfred Einsiedler]], [[Elon Lindenstrauss]] and [[Philippe Michel (number theorist)|Philippe Michel]], Venkatesh revisited the Linnik ergodic method and solved a longstanding conjecture of [[Yuri Linnik]] on the distribution of torus orbits attached to cubic number fields.<ref name = FieldsMedalLongCitation /><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://annals.math.princeton.edu/2011/173-2/p05|title=Distribution of periodic torus orbits and Duke's theorem for cubic fields|first1=Manfred|last1=Einsiedler|author-link1=Manfred Einsiedler|first2=Elon|last2=Lindenstrauss|author-link2=Elon Lindenstrauss|first3=Philippe|last3=Michel|author-link3=Philippe Michel (number theorist)|first4=Akshay|last4=Venkatesh|year=2011|journal=[[Annals of Mathematics]]|volume=173|issue=2|pages=815–885|doi=10.4007/annals.2011.173.2.5|arxiv=0708.1113|s2cid=6236918}}</ref>

Venkatesh also provided a novel and more direct way of establishing sub-convexity estimates for [[L-functions]] in numerous cases, going beyond the foundational work of Hardy–Littlewood–Weyl, Burgess, and Duke–Friedlander–Iwaniec that dealt with important special cases.<ref name = FieldsMedalLongCitation /><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://annals.math.princeton.edu/2010/172-2/p05|title=Sparse equidistribution problems, period bounds and subconvexity|first=Akshay|last=Venkatesh|year=2010|journal=[[Annals of Mathematics]]|volume=172|issue=2|pages=989–1094|doi=10.4007/annals.2010.172.989|arxiv=math/0506224|s2cid=119163205}}</ref><ref name = SubconvexityGL2>{{cite journal|arxiv=0903.3591|title=The subconvexity problem for GL₂|author-link1=Philippe Michel (number theorist)|first1=Philippe|last1=Michel|first2=Akshay|last2=Venkatesh|year=2010|journal=[[Publications Mathématiques de l'IHÉS]]|volume=111|issue=1|pages=171–271|doi=10.1007/s10240-010-0025-8|citeseerx=10.1.1.750.8950|s2cid=14155294}}</ref> This approach eventually resulted in the complete resolution by Venkatesh and [[Philippe Michel (number theorist)|Philippe Michel]] of the sub-convexity problem for GL(1) and GL(2) L-functions over general number fields.<ref name = SubconvexityGL2 />