Vaughan Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Vaughan Jones
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Jones in 2007
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| Born |
Vaughan Frederick Randal Jones
31 December 1952 Gisborne, New Zealand
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| Died | 6 September 2020 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Alma mater | University of Geneva University of Auckland |
| Known for | Jones polynomial Aharonov–Jones–Landau algorithm |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Myers |
| Awards | Fields Medal (1990) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Von Neumann algebras, knot polynomials, conformal field theory |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley Vanderbilt University University of California, Los Angeles University of Pennsylvania |
| Doctoral advisor | André Haefliger |
Sir Vaughan Frederick Randal Jones KNZM FRS FRSNZ FAA (31 December 1952 – 6 September 2020) was a New Zealand mathematician known for his work on von Neumann algebras and knot polynomials. He was awarded a Fields Medal in 1990.
Early life
Jones was born in Gisborne, New Zealand, on 31 December 1952. He was brought up in Cambridge, New Zealand, where he attended St Peter's School. He subsequently transferred to Auckland Grammar School after winning the Gillies Scholarship, and graduated in 1969 from Auckland Grammar. He went on to complete his undergraduate studies at the University of Auckland, obtaining a BSc in 1972 and an MSc in 1973. For his graduate studies, he went to Switzerland, where he completed his PhD at the University of Geneva in 1979. His thesis, titled Actions of finite groups on the hyperfinite II1 factor, was written under the supervision of André Haefliger, and won him the Vacheron Constantin Prize.
Career
Jones moved to the United States in 1980. There, he taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (1980–1981), and the University of Pennsylvania (1981–1985), before being appointed as professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. His work on knot polynomials, with the discovery of what is now called the Jones polynomial, was from an unexpected direction with origins in the theory of von Neumann algebras, an area of analysis already much developed by Alain Connes. It led to the solution of a number of classical problems of knot theory, to increased interest in low-dimensional topology, and the development of quantum topology.
Jones taught at Vanderbilt University as Stevenson Distinguished Professor of mathematics from 2011 until his death. He remained Professor Emeritus at University of California, Berkeley, where he had been on the faculty from 1985 to 2011 and was a Distinguished Alumni Professor at the University of Auckland.
Jones was made an honorary vice-president for life of the International Guild of Knot Tyers in 1992. The Jones Medal, created by the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2010, is named after him.
Personal life
Jones met his wife, Martha Myers, during a ski camp for foreign students while they were studying in Switzerland. She was there as a Fulbright scholar, and subsequently became an associate professor of medicine, health and society. Together, they have three children.
Jones died on 6 September 2020 at age 67 from health complications resulting from a severe ear infection.
Honours and awards
- 1990 – awarded the Fields Medal
- 1990 – elected Fellow of the Royal Society
- 1991 – awarded the Rutherford Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand
- 1991 – awarded the degree of Doctor of Science by the University of Auckland
- 1992 – elected to the Australian Academy of Science as a Corresponding Fellow
- 1992 – awarded a Miller Professorship at the University of California Berkeley
- 2002 – appointed Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) in the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, for services to mathematics
- 2009 – his DCNZM redesignated to a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2009 Special Honours
- 2012 – elected a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society
See also
In Spanish: Vaughan Jones para niños
- Aharonov–Jones–Landau algorithm
- Planar algebra
- Subfactor
