Sir Andrew Wiles is a preeminent British mathematician renowned for his transformative contributions to number theory and his resolution of one of mathematics' most enduring problems. Born in Cambridge, England on April 11, 1953, he completed his undergraduate studies at Merton College, Oxford, earning his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1974, and subsequently pursued postgraduate research at Clare College, Cambridge, where he received his PhD in 1980 under the supervision of John Coates. His early academic career included positions at Harvard University and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton before he joined Princeton University as a professor in 1982, and was later appointed Professor Emeritus of Mathematics in 2012. Wiles' rigorous mathematical training in elliptic curves and Iwasawa theory laid the essential groundwork for his future groundbreaking work on Fermat's Last Theorem.
Wiles' most celebrated achievement came in 1994 when he successfully proved Fermat's Last Theorem, resolving a 358-year-old mathematical conundrum that had captivated and eluded generations of mathematicians worldwide. His monumental proof, which established the Shimura-Taniyama-Weil conjecture for semistable elliptic curves, required the development of innovative mathematical techniques that revolutionized the field of arithmetic geometry and forged profound connections between disparate branches of mathematics. After presenting an initial proof in 1993 that contained a subtle error, Wiles dedicated himself to perfecting his work, ultimately achieving a complete and rigorous solution that was published in the Annals of Mathematics in 1995. This extraordinary accomplishment represents one of the most significant mathematical achievements of the twentieth century, fundamentally transforming our understanding of number theory and opening new avenues of research that continue to influence the field.
Beyond his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, Wiles has made numerous other significant contributions to mathematics, including his proof of the Iwasawa conjecture and fundamental research on the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, which remains one of the Clay Mathematics Institute's Millennium Prize Problems. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with mathematics' highest honors, including the prestigious Abel Prize, Copley Medal, Wolf Prize, and the Royal Society's Royal Medal, in addition to his knighthood as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. As a revered figure in mathematics, Wiles has inspired countless students and researchers through his remarkable journey of solving Fermat's Last Theorem, bringing mathematics to greater public attention and demonstrating the power of perseverance in mathematical discovery. His ongoing research continues to influence developments in the Langlands program and related fields, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential mathematicians of the modern era.
