HONORARY MEMBER 2004

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The London Mathematical Society has elected Professor Isadore M. Singer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Honorary Membership of the Society. Professor Singer has been a leading figure in geometry and analysis for over fifty years. He has received many honours and prizes, including the American Mathematical Society's Prize for Distinguished Public Service and the Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement, as well as the US National Medal of Science. Together with Sir Michael Atiyah, he was awarded the Abel Prize for 2004. Professor Singer is best known for his share in the Atiyah–Singer index theorem for elliptic operators on manifolds, which was proved in the mid-1960s. This powerful tool not only gave an explanation for a host of earlier results in geometry and topology, but also provided entirely new connections with other subjects such as number theory and theoretical physics. Professor Singer was one of those responsible for establishing the very successful dialogue that has taken place in recent decades between geometers and physicists, introducing into mathematics viewpoints from quantum field theory that have radically changed the agenda in geometry and topology.