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Hee Oh
Hee oh.jpg
Born (1969-10-27) October 27, 1969 (age 55)
Naju, South Korea
Citizenship United States
Alma mater
Known for dynamical systems
Awards
  • Satter Prize (2015)
  • Guggenheim Fellowship (2017)
  • Ho-Am Prize (2018)
Scientific career
Institutions Yale University
Thesis Discrete subgroups generated by lattices in opposite horospherical subgroups (1997)
Doctoral advisor Gregory Margulis
Korean name
Hangul
오희
Hanja
吳熙
Revised Romanization O Hui
McCune–Reischauer O Hŭi

Hee Oh (Korean: 오희, born October 27, 1969) is a brilliant Korean American mathematician. She is a professor at Yale University. She has made important discoveries in areas of math like dynamical systems (how things change over time), special groups of numbers, and how these connect to geometry (the study of shapes) and number theory (the study of numbers).

Becoming a Mathematician

Hee Oh earned her first degree from Seoul National University in 1992. She then went on to get her Ph.D. (a very high degree) from Yale University in 1997. Her teacher and mentor there was a famous mathematician named Gregory Margulis.

Teaching at Top Universities

After finishing her studies, Hee Oh taught at several well-known universities. These included Princeton University, California Institute of Technology, and Brown University. In 2013, she returned to Yale University. She became the very first woman to be a tenured professor in the Mathematics Department there. Being "tenured" means she has a permanent teaching position.

Leadership in Mathematics

Hee Oh also took on important leadership roles. From February 2021 to January 2024, she served as the Vice President of the American Mathematical Society. This is a big organization for mathematicians in the United States.

Her Amazing Work in Math

Hee Oh's work often involves studying how patterns repeat and fill space. She has done a lot of research on things like Apollonian circle packings. These are patterns made of circles that fit together perfectly. She also studied Sierpinski carpets, which are fractal shapes that look like carpets with holes. Her research helps us understand how these complex patterns behave.

Awards and Recognitions

Hee Oh has received many honors for her contributions to mathematics.

Speaking at Major Conferences

In 2010, she was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Hyderabad. This is a huge event where mathematicians from all over the world share their latest discoveries. She also gave a special talk at the AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting in 2012.

Prestigious Fellowships and Prizes

  • In 2012, she became one of the first fellows of the American Mathematical Society. This is a special title given to mathematicians who have made outstanding contributions.
  • She won the Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics in 2015. This award recognizes exceptional contributions to mathematics by women.
  • In 2017, she was named a Guggenheim fellow. This fellowship supports people who have shown exceptional ability in their fields.
  • She received the Ho-Am Prize for Science in 2018. This is one of the most respected awards in South Korea.
  • In 2024, she was welcomed into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a very old and respected group that honors leaders in many fields.

Serving on Important Committees

Hee Oh has also helped decide who receives other major math awards. She was on the committee for the Fields Medal in 2018. The Fields Medal is often called the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics." She is also on the Abel Prize committee for 2024-2026.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Hee Oh para niños

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