Dr. Manjul Bhargava stands as a preeminent figure in modern mathematics, renowned for his transformative contributions to number theory. He currently holds the distinguished position of Brandon Fradd, Class of 1983, Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University and serves as the Stieltjes Professor of Number Theory at Leiden University. Born in Canada in 1974 and raised primarily in the United States, Bhargava demonstrated exceptional mathematical talent from an early age, creating his first algebra problem at seven years old. After graduating summa cum laude from Harvard University in 1996, where he received the Morgan Prize for his undergraduate research, he pursued doctoral studies at Princeton University under Andrew Wiles, the renowned mathematician famous for proving Fermat's Last Theorem.
Bhargava achieved a landmark breakthrough with his doctoral thesis, which made the first significant advance in Gauss's theory of composition of binary quadratic forms in over two centuries. His revolutionary work discovered fourteen new composition laws and provided a coherent mathematical framework to explain them, solving numerous long-standing problems concerning number rings, number fields, and class groups. This profound contribution earned him the prestigious Fields Medal in 2014, specifically cited for developing powerful new methods in the geometry of numbers which he applied to count rings of small rank and to bound the average rank of elliptic curves. Among his other notable achievements are the proof of the 15 theorem and 290 theorem, novel generalizations of the factorial function, and groundbreaking work with Arul Shankar proving the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for a positive proportion of elliptic curves.
As a dedicated educator and mentor, Bhargava has profoundly influenced the next generation of mathematicians, having previously received multiple teaching awards during his time at Harvard. His work continues to open new avenues in algebraic number theory, with ongoing research focusing on the arithmetic properties of number fields and elliptic curves. Recognized with numerous honors including the Clay Research Award, the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences, Bhargava remains at the forefront of mathematical research. Through his innovative approaches and deep insights, he continues to unravel some of the most intricate problems in number theory, inspiring mathematicians worldwide with his elegant solutions to problems that had confounded experts for generations.
