Maryna Viazovska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maryna Viazovska
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| Марина Вязовська | |
Viazovska in 2013 at Oberwolfach
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Maryna Sergiivna Viazovska
2 December 1984 Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
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| Citizenship | Ukrainian |
| Alma mater |
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| Known for | Sphere-packing problem |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Salem Prize (2016) Clay Research Award (2017) SASTRA Ramanujan Prize (2017) European Prize in Combinatorics (2017) New Horizons in Mathematics Prize (2018) Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics (2019) Fermat Prize (2019) EMS Prize (2020) Fields Medal (2022) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions |
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| Thesis | Modular Functions and Special Cycles (2013) |
| Doctoral advisors | Don Zagier Werner Müller |
Maryna Viazovska is a brilliant Ukrainian mathematician. She is famous for solving a very old and difficult math puzzle called the sphere-packing problem. This problem is about how to stack spheres (like oranges) in the most efficient way.
Maryna is a professor of Number Theory at a university in Switzerland. It is called the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. In 2022, she received the Fields Medal. This award is considered one of the highest honors in mathematics.
Contents
Maryna's Early Life and Schooling
Maryna Viazovska was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 2, 1984. She is the oldest of three sisters. Her father was a chemist, and her mother was an engineer.
Maryna went to a special high school for students who were very good at science and technology. Her math teacher there, Andrii Knyazyuk, was a big inspiration. He used to be a professional mathematician.
University Studies and Early Research
Maryna loved math competitions when she was in high school. She continued to compete in math contests in college. She attended Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She won first place in the International Mathematics Competition for University Students in both 2002 and 2005.
In 2005, she wrote her first research paper. This was a big step in her career. She later earned advanced degrees from universities in Germany and Ukraine. Her doctoral research was about "Modular Functions and Special Cycles."
Becoming a Professor
After finishing her studies, Maryna worked as a researcher in Berlin, Germany. She also visited Princeton University in the United States. In 2018, she became a full professor in Switzerland. She now holds the Chair of Number Theory at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.
Solving the Sphere-Packing Problem
In 2016, Maryna Viazovska made a huge breakthrough. She solved the sphere-packing problem for eight dimensions. Imagine trying to stack oranges, but in a world with eight directions instead of three!
Before her work, this problem was only solved for three or fewer dimensions. The solution for three dimensions was very complex. It needed long computer calculations. Maryna's proof for eight dimensions was surprisingly simple.
Extending the Solution
Her solution for eight dimensions quickly helped other mathematicians. Together, they also solved the problem for 24 dimensions. This was another amazing achievement.
In 2018, Maryna and her team expanded their work. They looked at how to arrange points in these high-dimensional spaces. This was to make sure they used the least amount of energy. In 2019, they solved a math equation about how points repel each other in 8- and 24-dimensional spaces.
Maryna also researched "spherical designs." These are special arrangements of points on a sphere. Her work helped prove a long-standing math idea.
Awards and Recognition
Maryna Viazovska has received many important awards for her work.
- In 2016, she won the Salem Prize.
- In 2017, she received the Clay Research Award and the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize.
- She was awarded a New Horizons Prize in Mathematics in 2018.
- In 2019, she won the Ruth Lyttle Satter Prize in Mathematics and the Fermat Prize.
- She also received the EMS Prize in 2020.
The Fields Medal
In July 2022, Maryna Viazovska was awarded the Fields Medal. This is one of the most prestigious awards in mathematics. It is given every four years to mathematicians under 40.
She is only the second woman ever to receive this medal. The first was Maryam Mirzakhani. Maryna is also the first person to win it who earned a degree from a Ukrainian university. In December 2022, she was recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women.
Maryna's Family Life
Maryna Viazovska is married to Daniil Evtushinsky. He is also a researcher, working in physics at the same university. They met in an after-school physics group when they were children. Maryna and Daniil have two children, a son and a daughter.
Images for kids
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Maryna Viazovska in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Maryna Viazovska para niños
