James McKernan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James McKernan
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McKernan in 2006
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| Born | 19 March 1964 London, England, UK
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Awards | Cole Prize (2009) Clay Research Award (2007) Breakthrough Prize (2018) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | MIT University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, San Diego |
| Doctoral advisor | Joe Harris |
James McKernan (born in 1964) is a famous mathematician from Britain. He is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, San Diego. Before that, he taught at the MIT from 2007 to 2013.
His Journey in Math
Early Education
James McKernan went to The Campion School and then to Trinity College, Cambridge in England. He later moved to the United States to study at Harvard University. In 1991, he earned his Ph.D. from Harvard. His main research was about how different shapes fit together in space. His teacher, Joe Harris, helped him a lot with his studies.
Top Math Awards
James McKernan has won many important awards for his work in mathematics.
- In 2007, he received the Clay Research Award.
- In 2009, he won the Cole Prize.
He shared both of these awards with his friend and fellow mathematician, Christopher Hacon.
In 2010, James McKernan was invited to give a special talk at a very big meeting for mathematicians called the International Congress of Mathematicians. He spoke about "Algebraic Geometry," which is a branch of math that uses algebra to study shapes and spaces.
One of his biggest achievements was winning the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. He shared this prize with Christopher Hacon too. This award is given to people who make huge discoveries in math.
In 2020, he was chosen as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This honor was given to him because of his important work in algebraic geometry. He made big discoveries about how complex shapes and spaces are formed and how they behave.
