5 experts honored at 6th World Laureates Forum
The WLA Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics was presented to Dr Arkadi Nemirovsk (third left) and Dr Yurii E Nesterov (second right)
The 2023 World Laureates Association Prize ceremony was held in Shanghai.
The WLA Prize was presented as part of the opening ceremony of the sixth World Laureates Forum on Monday at its newly built permanent site in the Lingang Special Area.
Dr Arkadi Nemirovski of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Dr Yurii E Nesterov of the Université Catholique de Louvain received this year's WLA Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics.
They were honored for important contributions to the theory of convex optimization, such as the theory of self-concordant functions and interior-point methods, as well as for a complexity theory of optimization, accelerated gradient methods, and methodological advances in robust optimization.
According to Michael I. Jordan, chair of the award committee, optimization theory has arguably had the greatest important impact outside of mathematics over the last three decades.
Nesterov believes that computer science and mathematics are substantially responsible for the major advances in science and society during the last few decades, culminating in the development of artificial intelligence.
"In this new situation, our field optimization is faced with important challenges, emphasizing its interdisciplinary nature."
The WLA Prize in Life Science or Medicine were presented to Dr Karolin Luger (third left), Dr Daniela Rhodes (fourth left) and Dr Timothy Richmond (second right)
Dr Karolin Luger of the University of Colorado, Dr Daniela Rhodes of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, and Dr Timothy Richmond of the ETH Zürich Institute for Molecular Biology and Biophysics were awarded the WLA Prize in Life Science or Medicine.
They were awarded for elucidating the structure of the nucleosome at the atomic level, providing the basis for understanding chromatin, gene regulation, and epigenetics, said Randy Schekman, chair of the prize's selection committee.
According to Luger, the nucleosome's structure is comparable in elegance and aesthetics to the DNA double helix, as well as in its intuitive explanation of biology.
"Depictions of 'our' structure grace the covers of textbooks, are displayed in museums and have inspired art. I am happy to have contributed a bit of beauty and knowledge to the world," she said.
"Science is a lonely, selfish, excruciatingly frustrating, and obsessive occupation, and it cannot be done without a 'support system.'"
The prize was established in 2021. It is sponsored by HongShan, formerly Sequoia Capital, and each category awards 10 million yuan (approximately US$1.37 million) in prize money.
