The founder of the Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) Landon T. Clay passed away on July 29. Clay was a generous benefactor to mathematics and founded CMI in 1998 with his wife, Lavinia D. Clay The primary objective of CMI is to ‘encourage the increase and dissemination of mathematical knowledge’.
Clay was not himself a mathematician, having graduated from Harvard with a degree in English. His career as a successful businessman and in finance and science-based venture capital funding allowed him to devote his time and energy to philanthropic causes
CMI is probably best known for the seven Millennium Prize Problems but this is only one of CMI's activities. Other notable activities are the Clay Research Fellowships and the Clay Research Conference and Workshops, where the Clay Research Awards are presented.
Since 2014 the LMS has, in partnership with the CMI, supported 14 Research Schools in the UK, which provided training for young researchers, both students and postdoctoral researchers, in core areas of mathematics. Participants of the Research Schools, both national and international, meet with a number of leading experts from across the world as well as other young researchers working in related areas. The current President of CMI, Professor Nick Woodhouse, was instrumental in setting up this partnership.
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