Joseph J. Kohn Receives 2004 Bergman Prize

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January 31, 2004

PROVIDENCE, RI---Joseph J. Kohn of Princeton University has been awarded the 2004 Stefan Bergman Prize. Established in 1988, the prize recognizes mathematical accomplishments in the areas of research in which Stefan Bergman worked. Kohn will receive one year's income from the prize fund, about US$22,000.

The prize citation states, "Joseph J. Kohn's work in partial differential equations and several complex variables has influenced countless researchers and has fostered an intense interaction between these subjects." Kohn's work has provided an impetus to the study of the Bergman projection, and one of his results on that topic was instrumental in the work of previous winners of the Bergman Prize. "Kohn has also made important contributions to microlocal analysis, to the complex Monge-Ampère equation, and to the study of hypoellipticity for second order operators," the prize citation says.

Born in Prague in 1932, Kohn has for the past 40 years been a leading figure in complex analysis. His honors include membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the AMS Steele Prize for a Seminal Contribution to Research (1979).

The Bergman Prize honors the memory of the mathematician Stefan Bergman, best known for his research in several complex variables. A native of Poland, he taught at Stanford University for many years and died in 1977 at the age of eighty-two. The AMS was asked by Wells Fargo Bank of California, the managers of the Bergman Trust, to assemble a committee to select recipients of the prize. In addition, the Society assisted Wells Fargo in interpreting the terms of the will to assure sufficient breadth in the mathematical areas in which the prize may be given. Awards are made every one or two years.

Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the 30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses, strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.