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Tenth Vasil A. Popov Prize
The Tenth Vasil A. Popov Prize was awarded to Matthew Colbrook, Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge.
Matthew (Matt) was recognized for his outstanding contributions to approximation theory, particularly his work on the approximation of spectral properties of operators in infinite-dimensional spaces and the approximation power and trainability of neural networks. Computing approximations of spectra in infinite dimensions has been a significant challenge for mathematicians since the 1950s. Matt has introduced new algorithms that converge and come with explicit approximation guarantees. He has also developed a myriad of techniques yielding optimal approximation results for different spectral properties of operators, classifying when this can and cannot be done in the Solvability Complexity Index Hierarchy, and solving other open problems such as approximating generic spectral measures, geometric spectra, and (data-driven) Koopman operators in dynamical systems.
Parallel to this work, Matt has contributed significantly to the problem of approximation power and trainability of neural networks. For example, in a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Matt and his collaborators have shown that there are problems where stable and accurate neural networks exist, yet no training algorithm can produce such a network.
The “Vasil A. Popov” Prize is presented in honour of the Bulgarian mathematician Vasil A. Popov (1942-1990), who is best known for his contribution to the Theory of Approximations.
The prize was awarded for the first time in 1995. The prize, which consists of an engraved marble statuette and a cash prize, is awarded every three years for outstanding research contributions in the field in which Vasil Popov worked. Winners of the award can be young scientists – these are individuals who have received their doctorate in the last six years.
The Tenth Vasil A. Popov Prize, which consists of a pyramid trophy and a cash award of 2000 euros, was presented to Matthew by Albert Cohen of Sorbonne Université, Chair of the Popov Prize Selection Committee. The other members of the Selection Committee are Emmanuel Candes, Wolfgang Dahmen, Karlheinz Grochenig, Pencho Petrushev, Peter Oswald, and Vilmos Totik.
Thirteenth International Conference Digital Presentation and Preservation of Cultural and Scientific Heritage – DiPP2023
From September 7 to 10, 2023, Burgas will host the Thirteenth International Conference Digital Presentation and Preservation of Cultural and Scientific Heritage—DiPP2023. The event is organized by the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and is held under the patronage of UNESCO and the Burgas Municipality with the financial support of the Bulgarian National Science Fund.
The prestigious scientific event will be opened on September 7, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. at the Burgas Regional Library “Peyo Yavorov” (41, “St. St. Kiril and Metodiy” Str.), Burgas, Bulgaria.
The Thirteenth International Conference on Digital Presentation and Preservation of Cultural and Scientific Heritage—DiPP2023 aims at presenting innovative results, research projects and applications in the field of digitisation, documentation, archiving, representation and preservation of global and national tangible and intangible cultural and scientific heritage. The main focus is to provide open access to digitised cultural heritage and to set up sustainable policies for its continuous digital preservation and conservation. The priority area is the digital presentation and preservation of cultural and historical objects under conditions of risk, including those from the Burgas region. The forum will demonstrate innovative technologies and prototypes, including digital repositories, digital archives, virtual museums and digital libraries, which result from established practices and achievements in the field. Representatives of public and specialised libraries, museums, galleries, archives, centres, both national and foreign research institutions and universities are invited to participate and exchange experiences, ideas, knowledge and best practices of the field.
DiPP2023 co-organisers:
- Regional Academic Center of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Burgas,
- Regional Historical Museum – Burgas,
- Burgas Free University,
- Regional Library “Peyo Yavorov” – Burgas,
- University “Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov” – Burgas.
In addition to the Conference sessions, the Workshop and National Information Day Open Access to Scientific Publications, Data and Data Science, Bulgarian Open Science Cloud will also be held.
Find more on the DiPP2023 page.
Institute of Mathematics and Informatics announces a temporary postdoctoral position
The Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IMI-BAS) announces a temporary postdoctoral position, funded by the Bulgarian Scientific Programme “Enhancing the Research Capacity in Mathematical Sciences” (PIKOM). The duration of the position is 12 months, extendable for up to 24 months under the programme. Starting date is September 1, 2023, the earliest, but is flexible. The working language is English or Bulgarian.
The following research topics are available, although excellent candidates with a strong track record are also invited to submit their own:
- Deep learning on networks
- Stochastic processes, special functions, exponential functionals
- Modelling of quality in service systems
- Conceptual, informatical and mathematical models of socio-cyber-physical systems (SCPS)
- Birational Geometry
- Codes and designs in polynomials metric spaces
- Discrete groups and their actions
The approved researcher will be affiliated with the International Center for Mathematical Sciences – Sofia (ICMS-Sofia), which is part of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Interested candidates should provide a CV, list of publications, research statement and 1-3 letters of recommendation to pdj@math.bas.bg with a copy to vmil@math.bas.bg and director@math.bas.bg.
Find more on https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/128918.
Vesselin Dimitrov is the laureate of the 2023 IMI Mathematics Prize
The Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is proud to announce Vesselin Dimitrov to be the laureate of the IMI Mathematics Prize for the year 2023 for excellent achievements in Mathematics.
He receives this recognition for his outstanding contributions to number theory and Diophantine geometry.
The IMI award for 2023 was presented to Dr. Vesselin Dimitrov on July 10, 2023, during the opening of the International Conference “Mathematics Days in Sofia 2023”. The prize was presented by Prof. Julian Revalski, President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Prize Committee, and was personally delivered by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev.
Vesselin Dimitrov was born in Sofia in 1986. He graduated from the National Gymnasium of Natural Sciences and Mathematics “Academician Lyubomir Chakalov”. In 2003, he was chosen to represent Bulgaria in the prestigious six-week summer school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Research Science Institute (RSI). In 2005, he participated in the International Mathematics Olympiad, where he won a silver medal.
Dr. Dimitrov continued his education at Harvard University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 2010 with a thesis under the supervision of Prof. Barry Mazur. He received his MA (2014) and PhD (2017) from Yale University. His academic supervisor was Prof. Alexander Goncharov. Dr. Dimitrov is currently a member of the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton and an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. In 2022 Dr. Dimitrov was awarded the Oberwolfach Prize for “his outstanding contribution to number theory and Diophantine geometry” and with the David Gross Prize (which he shared with Ziyang Gao).
Vesselin Dimitrov works in the field of number theory, Diophantine geometry, and related problems from algebraic geometry, representation theory and harmonic analysis. He proved two famous and very difficult conjectures from the 1970s: The Schinzel-Zassenhaus conjecture for algebraic units close to the unit circle and the “unbounded denominators” conjecture, which concerns incongruent modular forms and which he proved together with Yunqing Tang and Frank Calageri. Another significant contribution of Vesselin Dimitrov, Ziyang Gao and Philipp Habegger is the proof of a uniform bound for the number of rational points of a curve X of genus g>1, which depends only on g and the rank of the Mordell-Weil group of the Jacobian of X.
About the Prize
For the first time, the Prize was awarded in 2014 to Martin Kassabov, a Professor at the University of Cornell, USA. In 2017, during the International Conference Mathematics Days in Sofia, the prestigious award was presented to Kiril Dachev, professor of mathematics at Purdue University, USA. The first woman recipient of the IMI Award is Greta Panova, associate professor at the University of Southern California, USA, who received the award in 2020. More about the laureates read here.
The IMI award is a metal statuette, accompanied by a diploma and a cash prize. Funds for the premium are raised through donations. Details about the Prize and the nominations procedure can be found in the Statute of the Prize.
The International Conference Mathematics Days in Sofia welcomes more than 200 mathematicians from all over the world
From July 10 to 14, 2023, the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, together with the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and the Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians, will hold the International Conference Mathematics Days in Sofia – MDS2023. More than 200 scientists from 30 countries arrived in Sofia for the traditional meeting of Bulgarian mathematicians.
The official opening of the International Conference will be held on July 10, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. in the Vasil Levski Hall of the Hyatt Regency Sofia Hotel. Among the invited official guests are the Minister of Education and Science, Prof. Galin Tsokov, the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Julian Revalski, the Rector of Sofia University, Prof. Anastas Gerdzhikov, the Mayor of Sofia, Mrs Yordanka Fandakova, representatives of business and of the academic community across the country.
During the opening, the IMI Mathematics Prize for 2023 will be presented. The Prize is awarded every three years to a Bulgarian mathematician under the age of 40 for high achievements in the field of mathematics. The award will be presented by Prof. Julian Revalski, Chairman of the Award Committee, and will be delivered in person by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria. IMI Mathematics Prize was founded in 2014 and its laureates are Martin Kassabov, Cornell University in Ithaca, USA (2014), Kiril Dachev, Purdue University, USA (2017), and Greta Panova, University of Southern California, USA (2020). You can find more about the laureates here.
It’s a well-known fact that many Bulgarian mathematicians and computer scientists work in prestigious universities and scientific centres outside Bulgaria. One of the main goals in organizing and holding scientific forums such as Mathematics Days in Sofia is to strengthen and deepen the ties with the Bulgarian mathematical diaspora by providing an environment for successful joint research activities and to continue fostering a strong, globally connected Bulgarian mathematical community.
The presidential institution of the Republic of Bulgaria traditionally demonstrates a deep interest in the development of mathematics and informatics in Bulgaria and works hard to maintain its high level and positive image in front of society – that is why the conference is held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr Rumen Radev.
Mathematics Days in Sofia is being held with the support of the Scientific Program Enhancing the Research Capacity In Mathematical Sciences (PIKOM), implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Simons Foundation.
Detailed information about the conference can be found on the MDS2023 website.
The rich program of MDS2023 is divided into seven thematic sections, including two workshops and five mini-symposia. See the program of the event by day here.
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