Greg Kuperberg
Encyclopedia
Greg Kuperberg is an American
mathematician
of Polish
birth known for his contributions to geometric topology
, quantum algebra
, and combinatorics
. Kuperberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Davis
.
He also maintains the Front for the arXiv
. Kuperberg used to moderate sci.math.research from time to time.
in 1969 due to the 1968 Polish political crisis. In 1972, Kuperberg's family moved to the United States
, eventually settling in Auburn, Alabama
. Kuperberg wrote three computer games for the IBM Personal Computer in 1982 and 1983: Paratrooper
, J-Bird and PC-Man. He enrolled at Harvard University
in 1983 and received a bachelor's degree in 1987. He was ranked Top 10 in the 1986 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
Upon leaving Harvard, Kuperberg studied at the University of California, Berkeley
under Andrew Casson
, receiving a Ph.D. in geometric topology
and quantum algebra
in 1991. From 1991 until 1992, Kuperberg was a NSF
postdoctoral fellow and adjunct assistant professor at Berkeley, and from 1992 to 1995 held the Dickson Instructorship at the University of Chicago
. From 1995 through 1996, Kuperberg was Gibbs Assistant Professor at Yale University
after which he joined the mathematics faculty at the University of California, Davis.
Kuperberg is married to physicist Rena Zieve, who is a professor of physics at UC Davis.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
birth known for his contributions to geometric topology
Geometric topology
In mathematics, geometric topology is the study of manifolds and maps between them, particularly embeddings of one manifold into another.- Topics :...
, quantum algebra
Quantum algebra
Quantum algebra is one of the top-level mathematics categories used by the arXiv.Subjects include:*Quantum groups*Skein theories*Operadic algebra*Diagrammatic algebra*Quantum field theory-External links:**R. Jagannathan,...
, and combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
. Kuperberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
.
He also maintains the Front for the arXiv
ArXiv
The arXiv |Chi]], χ) is an archive for electronic preprints of scientific papers in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, and quantitative finance which can be accessed online. In many fields of mathematics and physics, almost all...
. Kuperberg used to moderate sci.math.research from time to time.
Biography
Kuperberg is the son of two mathematicians, Krystyna Kuperberg and Włodzimierz Kuperberg. He was born in Poland in 1967, but his family emigrated to SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1969 due to the 1968 Polish political crisis. In 1972, Kuperberg's family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, eventually settling in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
. Kuperberg wrote three computer games for the IBM Personal Computer in 1982 and 1983: Paratrooper
Paratrooper (video game)
Paratrooper is a 1982 computer game, written by Greg Kuperberg and published by Orion Software.Paratrooper is one of the three games written by Greg Kuperberg when the IBM-PC was still very new, but unlike the other two, J-Bird and PC-Man, which were recreations of well-known coin-op games, this...
, J-Bird and PC-Man. He enrolled at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1983 and received a bachelor's degree in 1987. He was ranked Top 10 in the 1986 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...
Upon leaving Harvard, Kuperberg studied at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
under Andrew Casson
Andrew Casson
Andrew John Casson FRS is a mathematician, an expert on geometric topology.Casson is the Philip Schuyler Beebe Professor of Mathematics at Yale University in the United States where he served as department chair between 2004 and 2007. His Ph.D. advisor at the University of Liverpool was C. T. C...
, receiving a Ph.D. in geometric topology
Geometric topology
In mathematics, geometric topology is the study of manifolds and maps between them, particularly embeddings of one manifold into another.- Topics :...
and quantum algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
in 1991. From 1991 until 1992, Kuperberg was a NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
postdoctoral fellow and adjunct assistant professor at Berkeley, and from 1992 to 1995 held the Dickson Instructorship at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. From 1995 through 1996, Kuperberg was Gibbs Assistant Professor at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
after which he joined the mathematics faculty at the University of California, Davis.
Kuperberg is married to physicist Rena Zieve, who is a professor of physics at UC Davis.
Selected publications
Kuperberg has over fifty publications, including two in the prestigious Annals of MathematicsAnnals of Mathematics
The Annals of Mathematics is a bimonthly mathematical journal published by Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study. It ranks amongst the most prestigious mathematics journals in the world by criteria such as impact factor.-History:The journal began as The Analyst in 1874 and was...
.
- The quantum G2 link invariant, Internat. J. Math. 5 (1994), no. 1, 61-85.
- Non-involutory Hopf algebras and 3-manifold invariants, Duke Math. J. 84 (1996), 83-129.
- Generalized counterexamples to the Seifert conjecture, Ann. of Math. (2) 144 (1996), no. 3, 547-576.
- Symmetry classes of alternating-sign matrices under one roof, Ann. of Math. (2) 156 (2002), no. 3, 835-866.
- A subexponential-time quantum algorithm for the dihedral hidden subgroup problem, arXiv:0302112 (quant-ph).
- Numerical cubature using error-correcting codes, arXiv:0402047 (math.NA).
External links
- Greg Kuperberg, faculty page at UC-Davis