The first woman Dr. Karen Uhlenbeck to ever receive the prestigious award Abel Prize 2019, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of mathematics.
Dr. Uhlenbeck is an American professor emerita at the University of Texas at Austin and advocate for gender equality in mathematics and sciences. Karen Uhlenbeck is a founder of modern geometric analysis.
The Abel Prize, first given in 2003, won’t be Uhlenbeck’s first accolade. She was given a MacArthur Fellowship in 1983 and became the second woman to give one the International Congress of Mathematicians highlighted plenary talks in 1990.
“I am aware of the fact that I am a role model for young women in mathematics,” Dr. Uhlenbeck said. “It’s hard to be a role model, however, because what you really need to do is show students how imperfect people can be and still succeed.”