Louis Nirenberg

Who is Louis Nirenberg?

Louis Nirenberg is a Canadian-born American mathematician, considered one of the outstanding analysts of the twentieth century. He has made fundamental contributions to linear and nonlinear partial differential equations and their application to complex analysis and geometry.

He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and attended Baron Byng High School. He studied as an undergraduate at McGill University, and obtained his doctorate from New York University in 1949 under the direction of James Stoker. He became a professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. He was also conferred the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, at the University of British Columbia in 2010.

He has received many honours and awards, including the Crafoord Prize, the Bôcher Memorial Prize, the Jeffery-Williams Prize, the Steele Prize, the National Medal of Science, and the Chern Medal. He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.