The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters recently announced the award of the 2021 Abel Prize going to matematician László Lovász (Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics and Eötvös Loránd University) and computer scientist Avi Wigderson (Princeton University) “for their foundational contributions to theoretical computer science and discrete mathematics, and their leading role in shaping them into central fields of modern mathematics.”

LÁSZLÓ LOVÁSZ AND AVI WIGDERSON

Starting in 2003, the Abel Prize is a distinguished award given to members of the scientific community to recognize outstanding work and contributions to the field of mathematics. Nominations are reviewed by the ‘Abel Committee’ consisting of five mathematicians to determine a winner.

Lovász and Wigderson’s award-winning work focused on the theory of ‘computational complexity’. This is an interdisciplinary theory, now an established area of research in both mathematics and computer science, that studies the speed and efficiency of algorithms. First developed in the 1970s, the field has progressed in importance and now serves as the current theoretical basis for internet security. Lovász and Wigderson contributed significantly to the development of the field of computational complexity and made undeniable impacts with their work highlighted by a quote from the Abel Committee Chair:

“Lovász and Wigderson have been leading forces in this development over the last decades. Thanks to their leadership discrete mathematics and the relatively young field of theoretical computer science are now established as central areas of modern mathematics,” – Hans Munthe-Kaas, Chair of the Abel Committee.

You can read more about the Abel Prize and past winners here.