Nina Holden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nina Holden
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Holden in Oberwolfach, 2017
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| Born | c. 1986 (age 38–39) |
| Nationality | Norway |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Thesis | Cardy embedding of random planar maps and a KPZ formula for mated trees (2018) |
| Doctoral advisor | Scott Sheffield |
Nina Holden is a talented mathematician from Norway. She is very interested in probability theory, which is the study of chance and randomness. She also studies stochastic processes, which are mathematical models for things that change randomly over time.
Her work includes studying random maps and how they relate to quantum gravity. She used to be a Junior Fellow at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. Now, she is a professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University in the United States.
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Nina Holden's Early Life and Education
Nina Holden showed her math skills from a young age.
Winning Math Competitions
When she was a student at Berg Upper Secondary School in Oslo, Norway, Nina made history. She became the first girl to win the Abel competition. This is Norway's national math contest, similar to a Mathematical Olympiad.
In 2005, she took part in the International Mathematical Olympiad. This is a big math competition for high school students from all over the world. Nina earned an honorable mention there. She had one of the top two scores for the Norwegian team.
University Studies
After high school, Nina went to the University of Oslo in Norway. She earned her first degree in mathematics and computer science in 2008. In 2010, she completed her master's degree in applied mathematics. While studying in Oslo, she also spent time at the University of Oxford in England from 2006 to 2007.
Graduate School and Research
For three years, Nina worked as an energy market analyst. Then, she decided to go back to school for advanced studies. She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
She finished her Ph.D. degree at MIT in 2018. Her main research was about "random planar maps." Her professor, Scott Sheffield, guided her work.
Awards and Recognition
Nina Holden has received several important awards for her work in mathematics.
Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize
In 2021, Nina was given the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize. This award is part of the Breakthrough Prizes. It celebrates early achievements by women mathematicians.
She won for her work in "random geometry." This includes her studies on Liouville Quantum Gravity. This is a complex area that links different parts of mathematics. Her work helps us understand how random shapes behave. Two other mathematicians, Urmila Mahadev and Lisa Piccirillo, also won this prize in 2021.
Other Prestigious Awards
In 2023, Nina Holden received the Rollo Davidson Prize. The next year, in 2024, she was awarded the EMS Prize. This prize recognized her deep contributions to probability theory. It also highlighted her work on how probability applies to physics. Her research connects Liouville quantum gravity, the Schramm-Loewner evolution, and random triangulations.
