Caucher Birkar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Caucher Birkar
کۆچەر بیرکار |
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| Born |
Fereydoun Derakhshani
1978 (age 46–47) Marivan County, Iran
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| Citizenship | Iran |
| Alma mater | University of Tehran (BSc) University of Nottingham (PhD) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Leverhulme Prize (2010) Moore Prize (2016) Fields Medal (2018) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields |
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| Institutions | Tsinghua University University of Cambridge |
| Thesis | Topics in Modern Algebraic Geometry (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor |
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Caucher Birkar is a famous Kurdish-British mathematician. He was born in Iran in July 1978. His birth name was Fereydoun Derakhshani. He is now a professor at Tsinghua University.
Birkar is known for his important work in a field of math called birational geometry. This area of math studies how different geometric shapes can be transformed into each other. In 2018, he won the Fields Medal. This is one of the highest awards a mathematician can receive. He won it for his work on certain types of shapes called Fano varieties. He also helped develop the minimal model program. This is a big project in geometry.
Caucher Birkar keeps strong ties to his Kurdish background. He wants to encourage Kurdish identity. His chosen name, Caucher Birkar, means "migrant mathematician" in Kurdish. This name reflects his journey and his love for math.
Early Life and Education
Caucher Birkar was born in 1978 in a part of Iran called Marivan County. He grew up on a farm during the Iran-Iraq War. He was one of six children. His older brothers taught him a lot about math when he was young.
After high school, Birkar studied math at the University of Tehran. He earned his bachelor's degree there. In 2000, he won third prize in a big math competition for university students. Soon after, he moved to the UK as a refugee. He asked for protection there.
From 2001 to 2004, Birkar studied for his PhD at the University of Nottingham. In 2003, he won a special scholarship. It was given to the most promising PhD student. After moving to the UK, he changed his name to Caucher Birkar.
Research and Career
Caucher Birkar has made big steps in modern geometry. He worked with other mathematicians like Paolo Cascini and Christopher Hacon. They solved several difficult math problems. Their work helped to understand how geometric shapes behave.
Birkar also studied a problem from a mathematician named Iitaka. This problem was about how certain geometric patterns appear. Birkar helped solve a big part of this problem. His work helped simplify it for other mathematicians.
More recently, Birkar has focused on Fano varieties. These are special kinds of geometric shapes. He solved several important problems about them. This work led to him winning the Fields Medal in 2018. The Fields Medal is like the Nobel Prize for mathematics.
When he won the Fields Medal, Birkar said he hoped it would bring a "little smile" to Kurds around the world. Sadly, his medal was stolen on the same day he received it. But he was given a new medal in a special ceremony. Some people joked that he was the first person to get the Fields Medal twice!
Birkar also works on geometry in different mathematical settings. His research helps complete important programs in math.
Awards and Honours
Caucher Birkar has received many awards for his math work:
- 2010: Leverhulme Prize for his great work in algebraic geometry.
- 2010: Prize from the Fondation Sciences Mathématiques de Paris.
- 2016: AMS Moore Prize.
- 2018: Fields Medal.
- 2019: Honorary Doctorate from Salahaddin University-Erbil.
