Karen Uhlenbeck becomes first woman to win Abel Prize, math’s top award

American professor Karen Uhlenbeck has become the first woman to be awarded the Abel Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious international mathematics awards.

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced in Oslo on Tuesday that Uhlenbeck of the University of Texas at Austin was this year’s winner of the prize, seen by many as the Nobel Prize in mathematics.

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The award was worth six million Norwegian kroner (US$704,000).

The jury cited Uhlenbeck’s “fundamental work in geometric analysis and gauge theory which has dramatically changed the mathematical landscape.” It also praised her as “a strong advocate for gender equality in science and mathematics.”

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Norway’s King Harald V will present the prize to Uhlenbeck at a ceremony in Oslo on May 21.

The prize was first awarded in 2003 to honour the 19th-century Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.