Francisco Santos Leal facts for kids
Francisco (Paco) Santos Leal was born on May 28, 1968. He is a Spanish mathematician who teaches at the University of Cantabria. He became famous for solving a big math problem. He found a special example that proved a long-standing idea, called the Hirsch conjecture, was wrong. This was a huge deal in a math area called polyhedral combinatorics. For this important discovery, he won the Fulkerson Prize in 2015.
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Early Life and Education
Francisco Santos Leal was born in Valladolid, Spain. He studied mathematics at the University of Cantabria. In 1991, he earned his first degree there. In the same year, he also got a master's degree in pure mathematics. He earned this degree from Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France.
He returned to the University of Cantabria for his advanced studies. In 1995, he completed his doctorate degree. His research focused on the shapes and patterns of algebraic curves. He also studied Delaunay triangulations, which are ways to divide space into triangles.
In 1996, he earned another degree from Cantabria, this time in physics. After finishing his studies, he did more research at the University of Oxford.
Career at the University of Cantabria
In 1997, Francisco Santos Leal joined the University of Cantabria as a teacher. He worked hard and became a full professor in 2008. From 2009 to 2013, he also served as the vice-dean. He helped lead the Faculty of Sciences at the university during this time.
Solving the Hirsch Conjecture
One of Francisco Santos Leal's most important achievements is his work on the Hirsch conjecture. This was a famous problem in mathematics that had puzzled experts for over 50 years. The conjecture was about how many steps it takes to move between corners of certain geometric shapes called polyhedra.
Mathematicians thought there was a limit to these steps. But Santos Leal found a special example, called a counterexample, that proved the conjecture was false. This was a huge discovery in the field of polyhedral combinatorics. It showed that sometimes, you need more steps than previously thought.
The Fulkerson Prize
Because of his groundbreaking work on the Hirsch conjecture, Francisco Santos Leal received a major award. In 2015, he won the Fulkerson Prize. This prize is given to mathematicians for outstanding papers in discrete mathematics. It is one of the highest honors in his field.
Other Achievements
Besides winning the Fulkerson Prize, Santos Leal has been recognized for his work in other ways. In 2006, he was invited to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians. This is a very important event where top mathematicians from around the world share their discoveries.
He also serves as an Editor-in-Chief for the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. This means he helps decide which new research papers get published in this important math journal.
See also
In Spanish: Francisco Santos Leal para niños
