AMS Josiah Willard Gibbs Lectures
The Josiah Willard Gibbs Lectureship was established by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in 1923 to highlight the evolving role of mathematics in advancing research and addressing practical challenges. Named after Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839–1903), a mathematical physicist whose foundational work influenced both theoretical and applied sciences, the lectureship honors contributions that demonstrate the depth and breadth of mathematics.
Invitation to deliver a Gibbs Lecture is a recognition of a scholar's significant contributions to the mathematical sciences and their applications. These public lectures are designed to engage the broader academic community, offering insights into how mathematics informs research across disciplines and impacts contemporary thought.
The Gibbs Lectures aim to foster an appreciation for the role of mathematics in research and innovation, connecting its theoretical foundations with real-world applications and encouraging dialogue between mathematicians and researchers in related fields.
Upcoming Gibbs Lecture
Nick Trefethen
Harvard University
Lecture: Polynomials and Rational Functions
Date:
Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Nick Trefethen is distinguished for his many seminal contributions to numerical analysis and its applications in applied mathematics and in engineering.
Abstract: Much of mathematics starts from polynomials. This talk, full of online demos, will begin by showing how it has become routine in recent decades to compute with polynomials of degrees in the thousands or millions. This leads to the best numerical methods for many problems, including zerofinding. Then we move on to rational functions p(z)/q(z), a much newer tool for practical computation whose analysis relies on potential theory in the complex plane. Everything has changed since the introduction of the "AAA algorithm" in 2018. Rational functions now provide remarkable methods for interpolation, analytic continuation, analysis of singularities, computation of linear and nonlinear eigenvalues and resonances, quadrature, Hilbert transform, solution of Laplace/biharmonic/Helmholtz problems, and conformal mapping.
Previous Gibbs Lectures
January 2025, Seattle, WA; Yann LeCun, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, NYU and Meta, on Mathematical Obstacles on the way to Human-Level AI.
January 2024, San Francisco, CA; Suzanne Lenhart, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on Natural System Management: A Mathematician?s Perspective.
January 2023, Boston, MA; Richard Baraniuk, Rice University, on The Mathematics of Deep Learning.
April 2022, Virtual; Eitan Tadmor, University of Maryland, on Emergent Behavior in Collective Dynamics.
January 2021, Virtual; Lenka Zdeborová, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, on What Physics Teaches us about Computation in High Dimensions.
January 2020, Denver, CO; Nancy Reid, University of Toronto; In praise of small data: statistical and data science – 2020 Flyer.
January 2019, Baltimore, MD; Alan S. Perelson, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Immunology for Mathematicians - 2019 Flyer
January 2018, San Diego, CA; Cynthia Dwork, Harvard University; Privacy in the Land of Plenty - 2018 Flyer
January 2017, Atlanta, GA; John Preskill, California Institute of Technology; Quantum Computing and the Entanglement Frontier - 2017 Program
January 2016, Seattle, WA; Daniel Alan Spielman, Yale University; Graphs, Vectors, and Matrices - 2016 Program
January 2015, San Antonio, TX; Ronald L. Graham, University of California, San Diego; Mathematics and computers: problems and prospects - Abstract
January 2014, Baltimore, MD; Andrew Blake, Microsoft Research Cambridge; Machines that see, powered by probability - 2014 Program - Slides
January 2013, San Diego, CA; Cédric Villani, l'Université de Lyon; On Disorder, Mixing and Equilibration - 2013 Program
January 2012, Boston, MA; Bradley Efron, Stanford University; A 250-year argument: Belief, behavior, and the bootstrap - 2012 Program
January 2011, New Orleans, LA; Professor George Papanicolaou, Stanford University; Mathematical Problems in Systematic Risk - Intro - 2011 Program
January 2010, San Francisco, CA; Professor Peter W. Shor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Quantum channels and their capacities - 2010 Program
January 2009, Washington, DC; Professor Percy Deift, Courant Institute-New York University; Integrable systems: a modern view - Intro - 2009 Program
January 2008, San Diego, California; Professor Avi Wigderson, Institute for Advanced Study; Randomness ––A computational complexity view - Intro - 2008 Program
January 2007, New Orleans, Louisiana; Professor Peter D. Lax, New York University-Courant Institute; Mathematics and Physics - Intro
January 2006, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Michael Savageau, University of California Davis; Function, Design and Evolution of Gene Circuitry - Intro
January 2005, Atlanta, Georgia; Professor Ingrid Daubechies, Department of Mathematics and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; The interplay between analysis and algorithms - Intro
January 2004, Phoenix, Arizona; Professor Eric S. Lander, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Biology as information.
January 2003, Baltimore, Maryland; Professor David B. Mumford, Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, RI; The shape of objects in two and three dimensions: Mathematics meets computer vision.
January 2002, San Diego, California; Professor Michael V. Berry, Physics Department, Bristol University, UK; Making light of mathematics, AMS NS, v. 40, no. 2, pp. 229–237 (2003).
January 2001, New Orleans, Louisiana; Professor Ronald L. Graham, University of California, San Diego; The Steiner problem.
January 2000, Washington, DC; Professor Roger Penrose, Mathematical Institute, Oxford University; Physics, computability, and mentality.
January 1999, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Nancy J. Kopell, Boston University; We got rhythm: Dynamical systems of the nervous system, Notices of the American Mathematical Society, v. 47, no. 1, pp. 6–16 (2000).
January 1998, Baltimore, Maryland; Professor Edward Witten, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study; M-Theory, Notices of the American Mathematical Society, v. 45, no. 9, pp. 1124–1129 (1999). Published under the title Magic, mystery, and matrix.
January 1997, San Diego, California; Professor Persi Diaconis, Department of Mathematics, Harvard University; Patterns in eigenvalues, AMS NS, v. 40, no. 2, pp. 155–178 (2003).
January 1996, Orlando, Florida; Professor Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin; Is field theory the answer– Is string theory the answer– What was the question–
January 1995, San Francisco, California; Professor Andrew J. Majda, Princeton University; Turbulence, turbulent diffusion, and modern applied mathematics.
January 1994, Cincinnati, Ohio; Professor Robert M. May, Oxford University; Necessity and chance: Deterministic chaos in ecology and evolution, AMS NS, v. 32, no. 3, pp. 291–308 (1995).
January 1993, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Charles S. Peskin, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; Fluid dynamics and fiber architecture of the heart and its valves.
January 1992, Baltimore, Maryland; Professor Michael E. Fisher, Institute for Physical Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland; Approaching the limit: Mathematics and myth in statistical physics.
January 1991, San Francisco, California; Sir Michael Atiyah, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge, England; Physics and the mysteries of space; Selected Lectures, AMS videotape.
January 1990, Louisville, Kentucky; Professor George B. Dantzig, Stanford University, Stanford, California; The wide wide world of pure mathematics that goes by other names.
January 1989, Phoenix, Arizona; Professor Elliott H. Lieb, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; The stability of matter: from atoms to stars, AMS NS, v. 22, no. 1, pp. 1–49 (1990).
January 1988, Atlanta, Georgia; Professor David P. Ruelle, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Paris, France; How natural is our mathematics– The example of equilibrium statistical mechanics, AMS NS, v. 19, no. 2, pp. 259–268 (1988). Published under the title Is our mathematics natural– The case of equilibrium statistical mechanics.
January 1987, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Thomas C. Spencer, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; Schrödinger operators and dynamical systems.
January 1986, New Orleans, Louisiana; Professor L. E. Scriven, University of Minnesota; The third leg: Mathematics and computation in applicable science and high technology.
January 1985, Anaheim, California; Professor Michael O. Rabin, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel; Randomization in mathematics and computer science.
January 1984, Louisville, Kentucky; Professor Herbert A. Simon, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Computer modeling of the processes of scientific and mathematical discovery, AMS NS, v. 11, no. 2, pp. 247–262 (1984). Published under the title Computer modeling of scientific and mathematical discovery processes.
January 1983, Denver, Colorado; Professor Samuel Karlin, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Mathematical models and controversies of evolutionary theory, AMS NS, v. 10, no. 2, pp. 221–273 (1984). Published under the title Mathematical models, problems, and controversies of evolutionary theory.
January 1982, Cincinnati, Ohio; Professor Elliott W. Montroll, Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland; The dynamics and evolution of some sociotechnical systems, AMS NS, v. 16, no. 1, pp. 1–46 (1987).
January 1981, San Francisco, California; Professor Cathleen S. Morawetz, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; The mathematical approach to the sound barrier, AMS NS, v. 6, no. 2, pp. 127–145 (1982). Published under the title The mathematical approach to the sonic barrier.
January 1980, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Kenneth Wilson, Cornell University; The statistical continuum limit.
January 1979, Biloxi, Mississippi; Professor Martin Kruskal, Princeton University; "What are solitons and inverse scattering anyway, and why should I care–"
January 1978, Atlanta, Georgia; Professor Donald E. Knuth, Stanford University; Mathematical typography, AMS NS, v. 1, no. 2, pp. 337–372 (1979).
January 1977, St. Louis, Missouri; Professor Joseph B. Keller, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; Rays, waves, and asymptotics, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 84, no. 5, pp. 727–750 (1978).
January 1976, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Arthur S. Wightman, Princeton University; Nonlinear functional analysis and some of its applications in quantum field theory.
January 1975, Washington, D.C.; Professor Fritz John, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; A priori estimates, geometric effects, and asymptotic behavior, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 81, no. 6, pp. 1013–1023 (1975).
January 1974, San Francisco, California; Professor Paul A. Samuelson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Economics and mathematical analysis.
January 1973, Dallas, Texas; Professor Jürgen Moser, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; The stability concept in dynamical systems.
January 1972, Las Vegas, Nevada; Professor Freeman J. Dyson, Institute for Advanced Study; Missed opportunities, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 78, no. 5, pp. 635–652 (1972).
January 1971, Atlantic City, New Jersey; Professor Eberhard F. F. Hopf, Indiana University; Ergodic theory and the geodesic flow on surfaces of constant negative curvature, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 77, no. 6, pp. 863–877 (1971).
January 1970, San Antonio, Texas; Professor Walter H. Munk, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Tides and time.
January 1969, New Orleans, Louisiana; Professor Raymond L. Wilder, University of Michigan; Trends and social implications of research, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 75, no. 5, pp. 891–906 (1969).
January 1968, San Francisco, California; Professor Eugene P. Wigner, Princeton University; Problems of symmetry in old and new physics, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 74, no. 5, pp. 793–815 (1968).
January 1967, Houston, Texas; Professor Mark Kac, Rockefeller University; Some mathematical problems in the theory of phase transitions.
January 1966, Chicago, Illinois; Professor Martin Schwarzschild, Princeton University; Stellar evolution.
January 1965, Denver, Colorado; Professor D. H. Lehmer, University of California, Berkeley; Mechanical mathematics, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 72, no. 5, pp. 739–750 (1966).
January 1964, Miami, Florida; Professor Lars Onsager, Yale University; Mathematical problems of cooperative phenomena.
January 1963, Berkeley, California; Professor Claude E. Shannon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Information theory.
January 1962, Cincinnati, Ohio; Professor C. N. Yang, Institute for Advanced Study; Symmetry principles in modern physics.
January 1961, Washington, D.C.; Professor J. J. Stoker, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; Some nonlinear problems in elasticity, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 68, no. 4, pp. 239–278 (1962). Published under the title Some observations on continuum mechanics with emphasis on elasticity.
January 1960, Chicago, Illinois; Professor Julian Schwinger, Harvard University; Quantum field theory.
January 1959, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Professor J. M. Burgers, University of Maryland; On the emergence of patterns of order, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 69, no. 1, pp. 1–25 (1963).
December 1956, Rochester, New York; Professor Marshall H. Stone, University of Chicago; Mathematics and the future of science, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 63, no. 2, pp. 61–76 (1957).
December 1955, Houston, Texas; Professor Joseph E. Meyer, University of Chicago; The structure of simple fields, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 62, no. 4, pp. 332–346 (1956).
December 1954, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Professor Kurt O. Friedrichs, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University; Asymptotic phenomena in mathematical physics, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 61, no. 6, pp. 485–504 (1955).
December 1953, Baltimore, Maryland; Professor Wassily Leontief, Harvard University; Mathematics in economics, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 60, no. 3, pp. 215–233 (1954).
December 1952, St. Louis, Missouri; Professor Marston Morse, Institute for Advanced Study; Topology and geometrical analysis.
December 1951, Providence, Rhode Island; Professor Kurt Gödel, Institute for Advanced Study; Some basic theorems on the foundations of mathematics and their philosophical implications. First published in his Collected Works, v. III, Oxford University Press, pp. 304–323 (1995). Published title omits the word "philosophical."
December 1950, Gainesville, Florida; Professor G. E. Uhlenbeck, University of Michigan; Some basic problems of statistical mechanics.
December 1949, New York City; Professor Norbert Wiener, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Problems of sensory prosthesis, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 57, no. 1, pp. 27–35 (1951).
December 1948, Columbus, Ohio; Professor Hermann Weyl, Institute for Advanced Study; Ramifications, old and new, of the eigenvalue problem, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 56, no. 2, pp. 115–139 (1950).
December 1947, Athens, Georgia; Professor P. M. Morse, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mathematical problems in operations research, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 54, no. 7, pp. 602–621 (1948).
November 1946, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Professor Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, University of Chicago; The transfer of radiation in stellar atmosphere, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 53, no. 7, pp. 641–711 (1947).
November 1945, Chicago, Illinois; Professor J. C. Slater, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Physics and the wave equation, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 52, no. 5, part 1, pp. 392–400 (1946).
November 1944, Chicago, Illinois; Professor John von Neumann, Institute for Advanced Study; The ergodic theorem and statistical mechanics.
November 1943, Chicago, Illinois; Professor Harry Bateman, California Institute of Technology; The control of elastic fluids, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 51, no. 9, pp. 601–646 (1945).
September 1941, Chicago, Illinois; Professor Sewall Wright, University of Chicago; Statistical genetics and evolution, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 48, no. 4, pp. 223–246 (1942).
December 1939, Columbus, Ohio; Professor Theodore von Kármán, California Institute of Technology; The engineer grapples with nonlinear problems, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 46, no. 8, pp. 615–683 (1940).
December 1937, Indianapolis, Indiana; Professor C. A. Kraus, Brown University; The present status of the theory of electrolytes, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 44, no. 6, pp. 361–383 (1938).
October 1936, New York City; Professor H. N. Russell, Princeton University; Model stars, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 43, no. 2, pp. 49–77 (1937).
January 1935, St. Louis, Missouri; Dr. Vannevar Bush, Vice President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Instrumental analysis, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 42, no. 10, pp. 649–670 (1936).
December 1934, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Professor Albert Einstein, Institute for Advanced Study; An elementary proof of the theorem concerning the equivalence of mass and energy, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 41, no. 4, pp. 223–230 (1935).
December 1932, Atlantic City, New Jersey; Professor R. C. Tolman, California Institute of Technology; Thermodynamics and relativity, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 39, no. 2, pp. 49–74 (1933).
December 1931, New Orleans, Louisiana; Professor P. W. Bridgman, Harvard University; Statistical mechanics and the second law of thermodynamics, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 38, no. 4, pp. 225–245 (1932).
December 1930, Cleveland, Ohio; Professor E. B. Wilson, Harvard School of Public Health; Reminiscences of Gibbs by a student and colleague, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 37, no. 6, pp. 401–416 (1931).
December 1929, Des Moines, Iowa; Professor Irving Fisher, Yale University; The applications of mathematics to the social sciences, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 36, no. 4, pp. 225–243 (1930).
December 1928, New York City; Professor G. H. Hardy, Trinity College (England); An introduction to the theory of numbers, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 35, no. 6, pp. 778–818 (1929).
December 1927, Nashville, Tennessee; Professor E. W. Brown, Yale University; Resonance in the solar system, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 34, no. 3, pp. 265–289 (1928).
December 1926, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Professor H. B. Williams, Columbia University; Mathematics and the biological sciences, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 33, no. 3, pp. 273–293 (1927).
December 1925, Kansas City, Missouri; Professor James Pierpont, Yale University; Some modern views of space, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 32, no. 3, pp. 225–258 (1926).
December 1924, Washington, D.C.; Dr. Robert Henderson, Vice President, Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S.; Life insurance as a social science and as a mathematical problem, Bulletin of the AMS, v. 31, nos. 5–6, pp. 227–252 (1925).
February 1924, New York City; Professor Michael I. Pupin, Columbia University; Coordination, Scribner's Magazine, v. 76, no. 1, pp. 3–10 (1925).