Grigory Margulis, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, a professor at Yale University (USA), a lead research scientist at the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of RAS (IITP RAS) and a winner of the Fields Medal (1978), has been awarded the Abel Prize (2020) for “pioneering the use of methods from probability and dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics.”

Alexander Kuleshov, Skoltech President, ex-director of IITP RAS and Full Member of RAS, joins the global mathematical community in congratulating his distinguished colleague.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Grigory, whom I’ve known since my directorship at IITP RAS, on this highest honor awarded to the world’s most prominent mathematicians.

In July 2016, Skoltech and IITP RAS held a very insightful high-profile conference, “70+80”, dedicated to the anniversaries of two outstanding Russian mathematicians, Grigory Margulis and Yakov Sinai, where I had the honor to chair the organizing committee. Yakov Sinai received the Abel Prize in 2014, and it was a great pleasure for me to participate in the award ceremony. Now the Abel Prize is delivered to his student!

Grigory is not only a great mathematician but also a wonderful person. In the 1960s, he helped the late Evgeny Dynkin, another brilliant mathematician, with teaching gifted high school students at the famous School No 2 in Moscow for two years. Professor Shlomo Weber, one of his students at the time, is now President of NES and our close partner.

I would like to wish Gregory further successes in science. He is always welcome at Skoltech, either as a guest or faculty, topping off our stellar cast of world-famous mathematicians, such as Andrei Okounkov, Stanislav Smirnov, Igor Krichever and others.”