![Oleg Viro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Oleg_Viro.jpg)
Oleg Yanovich Viro (russian: Олег Янович Виро) (b. 13 May 1948,
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
) is a Russian
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 ...
in the fields of
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek language, Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a mathematical object, geometric object that are preserved under Continuous function, continuous Deformation theory, deformations, such ...
and
algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics, classically studying zeros of multivariate polynomials. Modern algebraic geometry is based on the use of abstract algebraic techniques, mainly from commutative algebra, for solving geometrical ...
, most notably
real algebraic geometry In mathematics, real algebraic geometry is the sub-branch of algebraic geometry studying real algebraic sets, i.e. real-number solutions to algebraic equations with real-number coefficients, and mappings between them (in particular real polynomial ...
,
tropical geometry
In mathematics, tropical geometry is the study of polynomials and their geometric properties when addition is replaced with minimization and multiplication is replaced with ordinary addition:
: x \oplus y = \min\,
: x \otimes y = x + y.
So f ...
and
knot theory
In the mathematical field of topology, knot theory is the study of knot (mathematics), mathematical knots. While inspired by knots which appear in daily life, such as those in shoelaces and rope, a mathematical knot differs in that the ends are ...
.
Contributions
Viro developed a "patchworking" technique in algebraic geometry, which allows real
algebraic varieties
Algebraic varieties are the central objects of study in algebraic geometry, a sub-field of mathematics. Classically, an algebraic variety is defined as the set of solutions of a system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers. Mo ...
to be constructed by a "cut and paste" method. Using this technique, Viro completed the
isotopy classification of non-singular plane projective curves of degree 7. The patchworking technique was one of the fundamental ideas which motivated the development of
tropical geometry
In mathematics, tropical geometry is the study of polynomials and their geometric properties when addition is replaced with minimization and multiplication is replaced with ordinary addition:
: x \oplus y = \min\,
: x \otimes y = x + y.
So f ...
. In
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek language, Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a mathematical object, geometric object that are preserved under Continuous function, continuous Deformation theory, deformations, such ...
, Viro is most known for his joint work with
Vladimir Turaev
Vladimir Georgievich Turaev (Владимир Георгиевич Тураев, born in 1954) is a Russian mathematician, specializing in topology.
Turaev received in 1979 from the Steklov Institute of Mathematics his Candidate of Sciences degre ...
, in which the Turaev-Viro invariants (relatives of the
Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants) and related
topological quantum field theory
In gauge theory and mathematical physics, a topological quantum field theory (or topological field theory or TQFT) is a quantum field theory which computes topological invariants.
Although TQFTs were invented by physicists, they are also of mathem ...
notions were introduced.
Education and career
Viro studied at the
Leningrad State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
where he received his Ph.D. degree in 1974; his advisor was
Vladimir Rokhlin. Viro taught from 1973 until 1991 at
Leningrad State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
. Since 1986 he has been a member of the
Saint Petersburg Department of the
Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Steklov Institute of Mathematics or Steklov Mathematical Institute (russian: Математический институт имени В.А.Стеклова) is a premier research institute based in Moscow, specialized in mathematics, and a part ...
. In 1992-1997, Viro was a F. B. Jones chair professor in Topology at the
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
.
In 1994-2003 he was a professor at
Uppsala University
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. On 8 February 2007, Viro and his colleague
Burglind Juhl-Jöricke were forced to resign from the university. There had been a history of conflict at the Mathematics Institute, with allegations of disagreeable behavior by several parties in the conflict. A number of Swedish, European and American mathematicians protested the manner in which the two Professors of Mathematics were forced to resign. These protests include the following:
*an open letter by
Lennart Carleson
Lennart Axel Edvard Carleson (born 18 March 1928) is a Swedish mathematician, known as a leader in the field of harmonic analysis. One of his most noted accomplishments is his proof of Lusin's conjecture. He was awarded the Abel Prize in 2006 fo ...
, former president of the
International Mathematical Union
The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of mathematics across the world. It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC) and supports ...
,
*a letter by
Ari Laptev
Ari Laptev (born August 10, 1950) is a mathematician working on the spectral theory of partial differential equations.
His PhD was obtained in 1978 at Leningrad State University under the supervision of Michael Solomyak.[European Mathematical Society
The European Mathematical Society (EMS) is a European organization dedicated to the development of mathematics in Europe. Its members are different mathematical societies in Europe, academic institutions and individual mathematicians. The current ...]
, and
*a letter from
M. Salah Baouendi,
Arthur Jaffe
Arthur Michael Jaffe (; born December 22, 1937) is an American mathematical physicist at Harvard University, where in 1985 he succeeded George Mackey as the Landon T. Clay Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Science.
Education and career
...
,
Joel Lebowitz
Joel Louis Lebowitz (born May 10, 1930) is a mathematical physicist widely acknowledged for his outstanding contributions to statistical physics, statistical mechanics and many other fields of Mathematics and Physics.
Lebowitz has published mor ...
,
Elliott H. Lieb
Elliott Hershel Lieb (born July 31, 1932) is an American mathematical physics#Mathematically rigorous physics, mathematical physicist and professor of mathematics and physics at Princeton University who specializes in statistical mechanics, Cond ...
and
Nicolai Reshetikhin
Nicolai Yuryevich Reshetikhin (russian: Николай Юрьевич Решетихин, born October 10, 1958 in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a mathematical physicist, currently a professor of mathematics at Tsinghua University, China and a profe ...
.
As of 2009, Viro is a senior researcher at the St. Petersburg Department of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics, and a professor at
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system's ...
.
Awards and honors
Viro was an
invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians
This is a list of International Congresses of Mathematicians Plenary and Invited Speakers. Being invited to talk at an International Congress of Mathematicians has been called "the equivalent, in this community, of an induction to a hall of fame." ...
in 1983 (
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
) and the
European Congress of Mathematicians
The European Congress of Mathematics (ECM) is the second largest international conference of the mathematics community, after the International Congresses of Mathematicians (ICM).
The ECM are held every four years and are timed precisely betwee ...
in 2000 (
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
). He was awarded the
Göran Gustafsson Prize
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for prom ...
(1997) by the Swedish government.
In 2012 he became a 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, ...
.
List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
retrieved 2013-08-29.
References
External links
Oleg Viro's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viro, Oleg
1948 births
Living people
20th-century Russian mathematicians
21st-century Russian mathematicians
Soviet mathematicians
Topologists
Algebraic geometers
University of California, Riverside faculty
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Stony Brook University faculty