The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the 2021 Abel Prize jointly to LMS Honorary Member László Lovász (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary) and Avi Wigderson (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA) ‘for their foundational contributions to theoretical computer science and discrete mathematics, and their leading role in shaping them into central fields of modern mathematics’. The London Mathematical Society congratulates both on receiving this prestigious honour.
The theory of ‘computational complexity’ – which concerns itself with the speed and efficiency of algorithms – first emerged in the 1970s and is now an established and important field of both mathematics and computer science, providing the theoretical basis for internet security. The work of László Lovász and Avi Wigderson has played an important part in this development, an integral part of everyday life for all of us.
More information about the Abel Prize is available here.