Michael Atiyah is sometimes described as one of the greatest living mathematicians. He was the corecipient, along with Isadore Singer, of the Abel Prize, an award that is compared to the Nobel Prize. The prize was awarded for their development of the Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem, which is used to count the number of independent solutions of many important differential equations.

In honor of Atiyah’s achievements, the Simons Foundation has established the Michael Atiyah Chair in Mathematical Sciences at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

The gift will be used to attract top researchers and professors to the university. AUB Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Khalil Bitar noted that the endowment would bring new possibilities to the study of mathematics at the university.

“The recent surge in the use of mathematical techniques via computer simulations in fields that traditionally have not made use of mathematical analysis and/or mathematical modeling will be greatly enhanced with leadership in this chair in the mathematical sciences,” Bitar said.

Atiyah has spoken passionately about the importance of mathematics. During a speech at AUB, he described mathematics as “an essential component of our world. In all the sciences, physical, biological or social, mathematics is increasingly important, and in recent years the business and financial community has also woken up to this fact.” When he was awarded an honorary doctorate from AUB in 2004, Atiyah described himself as “a firm believer in the fundamental and central role that mathematics plays in our modern technological society, where it underpins everything from science and engineering to finance and economics.”

The Simons Foundation hopes that the gift will help the university excel in both academic research and outstanding pedagogy.

“For many years AUB has been a beacon of scholarship and tolerance in an embattled part of the world,” said Jim Simons. “We are pleased to think that our contribution will help and strengthen the university in continuing to fulfill this important mission.”

“In the broad light of day mathematicians check their equations and their proofs, leaving no stone unturned in their search for rigour. But, at night, under the full moon, they dream, they float among the stars and wonder at the miracle of the heavens. They are inspired. Without dreams there is no art, no mathematics, no life." 

-Michael Atiyah

from The Unravelers: Mathematical Snapshots, AK Peters Ltd, 2008