Ken Ono (born March 20, 1968) is a
Japanese-American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asia ...
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
who specializes in
number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic function, integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777â ...
, especially in
integer partition
In number theory and combinatorics, a partition of a positive integer , also called an integer partition, is a way of writing as a sum of positive integers. Two sums that differ only in the order of their summands are considered the same part ...
s,
modular form
In mathematics, a modular form is a (complex) analytic function on the upper half-plane satisfying a certain kind of functional equation with respect to the Group action (mathematics), group action of the modular group, and also satisfying a grow ...
s,
umbral moonshine
In mathematics, umbral moonshine is a mysterious connection between Niemeier lattices and Ramanujan's mock theta functions. It is a generalization of the Mathieu moonshine phenomenon connecting representations of the Mathieu group M24 with K3 ...
, the
Riemann Hypothesis
In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part . Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in ...
and the fields of interest to
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan (; born Srinivasa Ramanujan Aiyangar, ; 22 December 188726 April 1920) was an Indian mathematician. Though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, he made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis ...
. He is the Marvin Rosenblum Professor of Mathematics at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
.
Early life and education
Ono was born on March 20, 1968 in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
He is the son of mathematician
Takashi Ono, who emigrated from Japan to the United States after World War II. His older brother, immunologist and university president
Santa J. Ono
Santa Jeremy Ono ( ja, ć°é äžć€Ș; born November 23, 1962) is a Canadian-American immunologist and academic administrator, currently serving as the 15th President of the University of Michigan, president of the University of Michigan since O ...
, was born while Takashi Ono was in Canada working at the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
, but by the time Ken Ono was born the family had returned to the US for a position at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
. In the 1980s, Ono attended
Towson High School
Towson High School is a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, founded in 1873. The school's current stone structure was built in 1949. Located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson and serving the surrounding communities ...
, but he dropped out. He later enrolled at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
without a high school diploma. There he raced bicycles, and he was a member of the
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
â
Miyata Cycling Team.
He received his BA from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1989, where he was a member of the
Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon (), commonly known as Psi U, is a North American fraternity,''Psi Upsilon Tablet'' founded at Union College on November 24, 1833. The fraternity reports 50 chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America, some of which ...
fraternity.
He earned his PhD in 1993 at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
where his advisor was
Basil Gordon.
Initially he planned to study medicine, but later switched to mathematics. He attributes his interest in mathematics to his father.
Career
Ono worked as an instructor at
Woodbury University
Woodbury University is a private university in Burbank, California, with a satellite campus in San Diego.
History
The school was founded in 1884 as Woodbury's Business College by its namesake, F. C. Woodbury, formerly a partner in Heald's Busi ...
from 1991 to 1993, as a visiting assistant professor at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
from 1993 to 1994, and as a visiting assistant professor at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
from 1994 to 1995.
He was a member of the
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...
from 1995 to 1997.
Ono worked at
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
from 1997 to 2000 as an assistant professor and then as the Louis A. Martarano Professor of Mathematics.
He moved to the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
as an associate professor in 1999, and later became the Solle P. and Margaret Manasse Professor of Letters and Science from 2004 to 2011 and as the Hilldale Professor of Mathematics from 2008 to 2011.
He has been the Candler Professor of Mathematics at
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
since 2010.
In 2019, Ono became the Thomas Jefferson Professor of Mathematics at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
.
He is serving as the chairman of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Virginia from 2021 to 2026.
Ono was the Vice President of the
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...
from 2018 to 2021.
He is serving as the section chair for mathematics at the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
from 2020 to 2023.
Research
Integer partitions
In 2000, Ono derived a theory of
Ramanujan congruences for the partition function with all prime moduli greater than 3. His paper was published in the ''
Annals of Mathematics
The ''Annals of Mathematics'' is a mathematical journal published every two months by Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study.
History
The journal was established as ''The Analyst'' in 1874 and with Joel E. Hendricks as the ...
''.
In a joint work with
Jan Bruinier, Ono discovered a finite algebraic formula for computing partition numbers.
A framework for the RogersâRamanujan identities
In 2014, a joint paper by Michael J. Griffin, Ono, and S. Ole Warnaar provided a framework for the RogersâRamanujan identities and their arithmetic properties, solving a long-standing mystery stemming from the work of Ramanujan. The findings yield new formulas for algebraic numbers. Their work was ranked 15th among the top 100 stories of 2014 in science by
''Discover'' magazine.
Proof of the umbral moonshine conjecture
In a joint paper co-authored with John Duncan and Michael Griffin, Ono helped prove the
umbral moonshine
In mathematics, umbral moonshine is a mysterious connection between Niemeier lattices and Ramanujan's mock theta functions. It is a generalization of the Mathieu moonshine phenomenon connecting representations of the Mathieu group M24 with K3 ...
conjecture.
This conjecture was formulated by Miranda Cheng, John Duncan, and Jeff Harvey, and is a generalization of the
monstrous moonshine
In mathematics, monstrous moonshine, or moonshine theory, is the unexpected connection between the monster group ''M'' and modular functions, in particular, the ''j'' function. The term was coined by John Conway and Simon P. Norton in 1979.
...
conjecture proved by
Richard Borcherds
Richard Ewen Borcherds (; born 29 November 1959) is a British mathematician currently working in quantum field theory. He is known for his work in lattices, group theory, and infinite-dimensional algebras, for which he was awarded the Fields M ...
.
Work on the Riemann Hypothesis
In May 2019, Ono published a joint paper (co-authored with
Don Zagier
Don Bernard Zagier (born 29 June 1951) is an American-German mathematician whose main area of work is number theory. He is currently one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, Germany. He was a professor at the ''Col ...
and two former students) in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Sci ...
on the
Riemann Hypothesis
In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part . Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in ...
. Their work proves a large portion of the Jensen-Polya criterion for the Riemann Hypothesis. However, the Riemann Hypothesis remains unsolved. Their work also establishes the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble random matrix condition in derivative aspect for the derivatives of the
Riemann Xi function
In mathematics, the Riemann Xi function is a variant of the Riemann zeta function, and is defined so as to have a particularly simple functional equation. The function is named in honour of Bernhard Riemann.
Definition
Riemann's original lower-ca ...
.
Advising National Champion and Olympic Swimmers
Since 2016, Ono has been using mathematical analysis and modeling to advise elite competitive swimmers including 2020 Tokyo Olympic medalists
Kate Douglass
Katherine Cadwallader Douglass (born November 17, 2001) is an American swimmer who is currently on the USA National Team. In 2021 she placed second in the 200m meter individual medley at the 2020 Olympic Swimming Trials, qualifying for the US Oly ...
,
Cate DeLoof,
Paige Madden,
Alex Walsh,
Emma Weyant
Emma Weyant (born December 24, 2001) is an American competitive swimmer. She was the US national champion at the individual medley. She qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in the 400m individual medley and won the silver medal in this event.
...
and Andrew Wilson.
Media work
He was an Associate Producer and the mathematical consultant for the movie ''
The Man Who Knew Infinity
''The Man Who Knew Infinity'' is a 2015 British biographical drama film about the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, based on the 1991 book of the same name by Robert Kanigel.
The film stars Dev Patel as Srinivasa Ramanujan, a real-life ...
'', which starred
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...
and
Dev Patel
Dev Patel (; born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. His breakthrough came in 2008 with the leading role of Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leadin ...
, based on
Ramanujan's biography written by
Robert Kanigel
Robert Kanigel (born May 28, 1946) is an American biographer and science writer, known as the author of seven books and more than 400 articles, essays, and reviews.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn, Kanigel graduated from Stuyvesant High School in N ...
.
He featured in a 2022 Super Bowl commercial for
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) of Chicago, Illinois. The company also produces Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life. Miller Lite competes mainly with Anheuser-Busch's Bu ...
beer. He is on the Board of Directors of the Infinity Arts Foundation.
Personal life
From 2012 to 2014, Ono has competed in
World Triathlon Cross Championships The World Triathlon Cross Championships is a triathlon championship competition organised by World Triathlon. The competition has been held annually since 2011. Unlike normal triathlon races the cross triathlon
Cross triathlon, or off-road triathl ...
events while representing the United States.
Honors and awards
*
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
Young Investigator (1997)
*
National Science Foundation CAREER Award
The National Science Foundation CAREER awards, presented by the National Science Foundation (NSF), are in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education, and the integration of these endeavors i ...
(1998)
*
Sloan Research Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This program is one of the oldest of its kind in the United States.
...
(1999)
*
Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering (1999)
*
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The White ...
from President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
(2000)
*
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
(2003)
* National Science Foundation Director's Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award (2005)
*
Fellow of the American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...
(2013)
List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
retrieved 2013-03-20.
Editorial boards
Ono is on the editorial board of several journals:
* ''Annals of Combinatorics
''Annals of Combinatorics'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in combinatorics. It was established in 1997 by William Chen and is published by BirkhÀuser.
The journal publishes articles in combinatorics and relate ...
''
* ''Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society
The ''Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society'' is a quarterly mathematical journal published by the American Mathematical Society.
Scope
It publishes surveys on contemporary research topics, written at a level accessible to non-experts. I ...
''
* '' Communications in Number Theory and Physics''
* ''Electronic Journal of Combinatorics
The ''Electronic Journal of Combinatorics'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering research in combinatorial mathematics.
The journal was established in 1994 by Herbert Wilf (University of Pennsylvania) and Neil Calkin (Georgi ...
''
* ''Integers
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (â1, â2, â3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language o ...
''
* '' International Journal of Modern Mathematics''
* ''International Journal of Number Theory
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
''
* ''Involve, a Journal of Mathematics
Mathematical Sciences Publishers is a nonprofit publishing company run by and for mathematicians.
It publishes several journals and the book series ''Geometry & Topology Monographs''. It is run from a central office in the Department of Mathemati ...
''
* '' Journal of Combinatorics and Number Theory''
* ''The Ramanujan Journal
''The Ramanujan Journal'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all areas of mathematics, especially those influenced by the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. The journal was established in 1997 and is published by Springer Science ...
''
* '' Research in the Mathematical Sciences'' (Editor-in-Chief)
* ''Research in Number Theory
''Research in Number Theory'' is a peer-reviewed mathematics journal covering number theory and arithmetic geometry. The editors-in-chief are Jennifer Balakrishnan (Boston University), Florian Luca (University of Witwatersrand), Ken Ono (Universit ...
'' (Editor-in-Chief)
See also
*Ramanujan's ternary quadratic form In number theory, a branch of mathematics, Ramanujan's ternary quadratic form is the algebraic expression with integer, integral values for ''x'', ''y'' and ''z''. Srinivasa Ramanujan considered this expression in a footnote in a paper publi ...
References
External links
*
*
*
Ken Ono on ''The Man Who Knew Infinity'' and why Ramanujan Matters
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ono, Ken
1968 births
Living people
Combinatorialists
Number theorists
20th-century American mathematicians
21st-century American mathematicians
Towson High School alumni
University of Chicago alumni
Emory University faculty
University of Virginia faculty
University of WisconsinâMadison faculty
American people of Japanese descent
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Mathematicians from Philadelphia