Corinna Ulcigrai facts for kids
Corinna Ulcigrai is a famous Italian mathematician. She was born on January 3, 1980, in Trieste, Italy. Corinna studies "dynamical systems." These are like mathematical models that help us understand how things change over time. Think about how planets move or how weather patterns develop.
One of her most important discoveries was in 2013. With another mathematician, Krzysztof Frączek, she studied something called the "Ehrenfest model." This model is like a special billiard game with many obstacles. It helps scientists understand how gases spread out. Corinna and Krzysztof showed that in this model, most paths (or "trajectories") of the billiard balls do not explore every possible space. This means they are not "ergodic" – a term used when a system eventually visits all its possible states.
Education and Career
Corinna Ulcigrai earned her Ph.D. degree in 2007. She studied at Princeton University in the United States. Her main teacher there was Yakov Sinai, who is also a very famous mathematician.
After her studies, she worked at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Today, she is a professor at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.
Awards and Recognition
Corinna Ulcigrai has received several important awards for her work. These awards show how much her contributions are valued in the world of mathematics.
In 2012, she was given the European Mathematical Society Prize. The next year, in 2013, she won the Whitehead Prize.
In 2020, Corinna Ulcigrai received the Michael Brin Prize in Dynamical Systems. She won this award for her important research on how things move and change in different mathematical systems. Her work helps us understand complex patterns in motion and flow.
