News

Old Edwardians, Richard Borcherds (1978), Geoffrey Grimmett (1968) and Sir Paul Ruddock (1976), have received special recognition for their contributions to the fields of Maths and the Arts.

Richard Borcherds, who won the Fields Medal in 1998 - the math world's equivalent of the Nobel Prize - has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the most prestigious scientific organisations in America. Richard is Professor of Mathematics at the University of California and specialises in lattices, number theory, group theory and infinite-dimensional algebras.

Geoffrey Grimmett, Professor of Mathematical Statistics and Master of Downing College, Cambridge, has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. The Royal Society website states: ‘At a time of flowering of probabilistic methods in all branches of mathematics, Geoffrey Grimmett is one of the broadest probabilists of his generation, and unquestionably a leading figure in the subject on the world scene. He is particularly recognised for his achievements in the rigorous theory of disordered physical systems.'

Sir Paul Ruddock, Chairman of the V&A Museum, has been recognised at an international level for his commitment to the arts and been awarded the Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award. Sir Paul, who gave a substantial donation to the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre at King Edward's, supports a variety of arts organisations and philanthropic causes around the world and is donating the Montblanc prize money to the V&A to purchase a contemporary piece. View the film made about Sir Paul Ruddock's contribution to the Arts.

Richard Borcherds image copyright of George M. Bergman, Berkeley