Richard S. Hamilton

Richard S. Hamilton
Hamilton in 1982
Born	Richard Streit Hamilton (1943-01-10)January 10, 1943 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died	September 29, 2024(2024-09-29) (aged 81)
Alma mater	Yale University (BA) Princeton University (PhD)
Known for	Convergence theorems for Ricci flow Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps and harmonic map heat flow Earle–Hamilton fixed-point theorem Gage–Hamilton–Grayson theorem Li–Yau inequalities for Ricci flow and other geometric flows Maximum principle for parabolic systems Nash–Moser theorem Ricci flow with surgery in four dimensions for positive isotropic curvature
Awards	Veblen Prize (1996) Clay Research Award (2003) Leroy P. Steele Prize (2009) Shaw Prize (2011)
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	Cornell University University of California, San Diego Columbia University University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Thesis	Variation of Structure on Riemann Surfaces  (1966)
Doctoral advisor	Robert Gunning
Doctoral students	Martin Lo

Richard Streit Hamilton (January 10, 1943 – September 29, 2024) was an American mathematician who served as the Davies Professor of Mathematics at Columbia University.

Hamilton is known for contributions to geometric analysis and partial differential equations, and particularly for developing the theory of Ricci flow. Hamilton introduced the Ricci flow in 1982 and, over the next decades, he developed a network of results and ideas for using it to prove the Poincaré conjecture and geometrization conjecture from the field of geometric topology.

Hamilton's work on the Ricci flow was recognized with an Oswald Veblen Prize, a Clay Research Award, a Leroy P. Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research and a Shaw Prize. Grigori Perelman built upon Hamilton's research program, proving the Poincaré and geometrization conjectures in 2003. Perelman was awarded a Millennium Prize for resolving the Poincaré conjecture but declined it, regarding his contribution as no greater than Hamilton's.