S. R. S. Varadhan gets US highest scientific honour

S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan, a professor at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, was named a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers. Varadhan and the six other recipients of this year’s National Medal of Science will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this year.

Varadhan was also an Abel Prize laureate and is recognised worlwide for his pioneering work in probability theory.

The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation.  Awarded annually, the Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering. Nominees are selected by a committee of Presidential appointees based on their extraordinary knowledge in, and contributions to, the biological, behavioral/social, and physical sciences, as well as chemistry, engineering, computing, and mathematics.