Infosys selects IIT faculty for mathematics award

Infosys Technologies Ltd (Infosys) and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) today announced the first-ever winner of the Infosys Mathematics Prize. The winner of this prize for 2008 is Manindra Agrawal, N Rama Rao, Chair Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. Agrawal was chosen by a jury of eminent academicians from across the world and will be awarded Rs 10 lakh and a medal for his research in Complexity Theory.

Manindra Agrawal has been awarded the Infosys Mathematics Prize for his outstanding work in Complexity Theory, the branch of mathematics concerned with the study of algorithms for solving mathematical and related scientific problems, especially their efficiency and running times.
 
Announcing the winner at a press conference, here today, N R Narayana Murthy, chairman and chief mentor, Infosys said, “At Infosys, we firmly believe in strong industry-academia partnership for the advancement of academic research. The Infosys Mathematics Prize recognises contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to mathematical sciences. Infosys congratulates Agrawal on being awarded this prize and applauds his work. We hope that this award will reiterate the importance of mathematics across different sciences and encourage students to cultivate an interest in the subject.”

The Infosys Mathematics Prize was jointly instituted by Infosys and NIAS earlier this year to encourage and foster an interest in mathematics. This prize is awarded to a nominated candidate who has made outstanding contributions - fundamental or applied - in any field of mathematics including the areas of pure mathematics, mathematical foundations of computer science and applied mathematics in natural, life and social sciences.