Moritz Werner Fenchel | |
|---|---|
 Werner Fenchel, 1972 | |
| Born | 3 May 1905 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | 24 January 1988 (aged 82) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Citizenship | German |
| Alma mater | University of Berlin |
| Known for | Fenchel's duality theorem Fenchel's theorem Fenchel–Moreau theorem Fenchel–Nielsen coordinates Fenchel–Young inequality Alexandrov–Fenchel inequality Legendre–Fenchel transformation |
| Awards | Rockefeller Fellowship (1930) Membership in the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (1946) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics: Geometry Optimization |
| Institutions | University of Copenhagen University of Göttingen |
| Doctoral advisor | Ludwig Bieberbach |
| Doctoral students | Birgit Grodal Troels Jørgensen |
Moritz Werner Fenchel (German: [ˈfɛnçəl]; 3 May 1905 – 24 January 1988) was a German-born Danish mathematician known for his contributions to geometry and to optimization theory. Fenchel established the basic results of convex analysis and nonlinear optimization theory which would, in time, serve as the foundation for nonlinear programming. A German-born Jew and early refugee from Nazi suppression of intellectuals, Fenchel lived most of his life in Denmark. Fenchel's monographs and lecture notes are considered influential.