Akshay Venkatesh: The Great Connector

The 2022 Fields Medal Symposium will honour Akshay Venkatesh. Dr. Venkatesh was awarded the Fields Medal in 2018 “for his synthesis of analytic number theory, homogeneous dynamics, topology and representation theory, which has resolved long-standing problems in areas such as the equidistribution of arithmetic objects.”

The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) professor is primarily known as a number theorist but has an ability to pick up complex topics and develop deep insights that can be applied to other areas of mathematics. This intellectual flexibility has allowed Dr. Venkatesh to flow through multiple domains – from number field extensions to dynamical systems and representation theory – leaving his mark by transforming the area before he moves on to the next pursuit. As a result, he has developed a reputation as one of math’s “great connectors.”

True to form, Dr. Venkatesh has asked to do things a little differently. His symposium will address "The Changing Face of Mathematical Research" where speakers from diverse fields will address the influx of new perspectives on the nature of research and of proof. Given the evolving technological landscape we are living in, it is a topic very much of the moment and one that acknowledges the inextricable relationship between research and its context.

Join us on October 17, 2022, at 7 pm EDT for the Public Opening at the Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles St W, Toronto, ON M5S 2C7)  in Toronto, where Dr. Venkatesh will kick things off with a talk on “Glimpses Through the Lens of Entropy.”

The Scientific Program will run from October 17-19, 2022.

We are pleased to bring back our popular Student Night, which will take place on October 18 at 6 pm EDT.

Both the Public Opening and Scientific Program are open to the public and free of charge, but attendees must register beforehand. The Public Opening will be streamed live, then will be made available on our website and YouTube channel.