The talk is about the encounter between three fields of science: entropy and the study of gases, personified by Boltzmann; economic planification, personified by Kantorovitch; curvature, personified by Riemann. The encounter led to rich unexpected developments; this will be the opportunity of talking about the way mathematical research is done.
Cédric Villani’s work has provided crucial mathematical understanding of various physical phenomena and made deep connections between mathematics and physics. He was awarded the Fields Medal (2010) for his proofs of nonlinear Landau damping and convergence to equilibrium for the Boltzmann equation. His other awards include the Jacques Herbrand Prize of the French Academy of Science (2007), the Prize of the European Mathematical Society (2008), the Henri Poincaré Prize of the International Association for Mathematical Physics (2009), the Fermat Prize (2009), and Joseph L. Doob Prize of the American Mathematical Society (2014). Professor Villani is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and knight of the Legion of Honour.
For further information about Professor Villani’s research, please click here to view his website