Richard S. Hamilton | |
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.jpg) Hamilton in 1982 | |
| Born | Richard Streit Hamilton January 10, 1943 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 2024 (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Convergence theorems for Ricci flow
Dirichlet problem for harmonic maps and harmonic map heat flow
Li–Yau inequalities for Ricci flow and other geometric flows
Maximum principle for parabolic systems
Ricci flow with surgery in four dimensions for positive isotropic curvature
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Variation of Structure on Riemann Surfaces (1966) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Gunning |
| Doctoral students | Martin Lo Steven Altschuler Lani (Lang-Fang) Wu Fadi Twainy Kevin Olwell Tong Li |
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.