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 mathematician from Norway. She studies how chance and randomness work in math. This field is called probability theory. She also looks at things that change randomly over time, known as stochastic processes.
Her work helps us understand complex systems. She has studied random shapes and how they connect to ideas like quantum gravity. Nina Holden used to be a researcher at ETH Zurich. Now, she is a professor at New York University in the United States.
Contents
Nina Holden's Education Journey
Early School Years
Nina Holden went to Berg Upper Secondary School in Oslo, Norway. While there, she made history. She became the first girl to win the Abel competition. This is Norway's national math contest.
In 2005, she joined the International Mathematical Olympiad. She earned a special 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 math and computer science in 2008. In 2010, she got her master's degree in applied math. While studying in Oslo, she also visited the University of Oxford in the UK. This was from 2006 to 2007.
Advanced Degrees
Nina worked for three years as an energy market analyst. Then, she decided to go back to school. She went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. She finished her Ph.D. there in 2018.
Her Ph.D. paper was about "Cardy embedding of random planar maps." It also covered "a KPZ formula for mated trees." Her professor, Scott Sheffield, guided her research.
Awards and Recognition
Breakthrough Prize
In 2021, Nina Holden received a special award. It was the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize. This prize is given to young women mathematicians. It was part of the 2021 Breakthrough Prizes.
She won for her work on "random geometry." This includes how random shapes relate to "Liouville Quantum Gravity." This is a way to understand random patterns. Her work helped show how certain random shapes fit together. Two other mathematicians, Urmila Mahadev and Lisa Piccirillo, also won this prize.
Other Major Awards
In 2023, Nina Holden received the Rollo Davidson Prize. The next year, in 2024, she won the EMS Prize. This award recognized her important work in probability theory. It also honored her studies in statistical physics. Her research connects different math ideas. These include Liouville quantum gravity and random shapes.
