Robion Kirby
Encyclopedia
Robion Cromwell Kirby is a Professor
of Mathematics
at the University of California, Berkeley
who specializes in low-dimensional topology
. He coinvented the Kirby–Siebenmann invariant for classifying the PL-structures on a topological manifold
and proved the fundamental result on the Kirby calculus
, a method for describing 3-manifolds and smooth 4-manifold
s by surgery on framed links. Along with his significant mathematical contributions, he is an influential figure in the field, with over 50 doctoral students and his famous problem list.
He was born in 1938 and received his Ph.D.
from the University of Chicago
in 1965. He soon became an assistant professor at UCLA. While there he developed his "torus trick" which enabled him to prove in dimensions greater than four (with additional joint work with Larry Siebenmann), four of Milnor's seven most important problems in geometric topology. Consequently, in 1971, he was awarded the Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry
by the American Mathematical Society
.
In 1995 he became the first mathematician to receive the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing from the National Academy of Sciences
for his problem list in low-dimensional topology. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2001.
Kirby is also the President of Mathematical Sciences Publishers, a small non-profit academic publishing house that focuses on mathematics and engineering journals.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
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...
who specializes in low-dimensional topology
Low-dimensional topology
In mathematics, low-dimensional topology is the branch of topology that studies manifolds of four or fewer dimensions. Representative topics are the structure theory of 3-manifolds and 4-manifolds, knot theory, and braid groups. It can be regarded as a part of geometric topology.A number of...
. He coinvented the Kirby–Siebenmann invariant for classifying the PL-structures on a topological manifold
Topological manifold
In mathematics, a topological manifold is a topological space which looks locally like Euclidean space in a sense defined below...
and proved the fundamental result on the Kirby calculus
Kirby calculus
In mathematics, the Kirby calculus in geometric topology, named after Robion Kirby, is a method for modifying framed links in the 3-sphere using a finite set of moves, the Kirby moves...
, a method for describing 3-manifolds and smooth 4-manifold
4-manifold
In mathematics, 4-manifold is a 4-dimensional topological manifold. A smooth 4-manifold is a 4-manifold with a smooth structure. In dimension four, in marked contrast with lower dimensions, topological and smooth manifolds are quite different...
s by surgery on framed links. Along with his significant mathematical contributions, he is an influential figure in the field, with over 50 doctoral students and his famous problem list.
He was born in 1938 and received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from 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...
in 1965. He soon became an assistant professor at UCLA. While there he developed his "torus trick" which enabled him to prove in dimensions greater than four (with additional joint work with Larry Siebenmann), four of Milnor's seven most important problems in geometric topology. Consequently, in 1971, he was awarded the Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry
Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry
The Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry is an award granted by the American Mathematical Society for notable research in geometry or topology. It was founded in 1961 in memory of Oswald Veblen...
by the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
.
In 1995 he became the first mathematician to receive the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing from the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
for his problem list in low-dimensional topology. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2001.
Kirby is also the President of Mathematical Sciences Publishers, a small non-profit academic publishing house that focuses on mathematics and engineering journals.
Books
- Foundational Essays on Topological Manifolds, Smoothings, and Triangulations. by Robion C. Kirby, Laurence C. Siebenmann ISBN 0-691-08191-3 | year=1989 | volume=1374 | postscript=}}
External links
- Kirby's home page.
- Kirby's list of problems in low dimensional topology. (This is a large 380 page gzipped ps file.)
- Biographical notes from the Proceedings of the Kirbyfest in honour of his 60th birthday in 1998.