The Adams Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes awarded by the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. It is awarded each year by the Faculty of Mathematics at the

and St John's College to a UK-based mathematician for distinguished research in the Mathematical Sciences. The prize is named after the mathematician

John Couch Adams John Couch Adams (; 5 June 1819 – 21 January 1892) was a British mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Laneast, near Launceston, Cornwall, and died in Cambridge. His most famous achievement was predicting the existence and position o ...

. It was endowed by members of St John's College and was approved by the senate of the university in 1848 to commemorate Adams' controversial role in the discovery of the planet

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 time ...

. Originally open only to Cambridge graduates, the current stipulation is that the mathematician must reside in the UK and must be under forty years of age. Each year applications are invited from mathematicians who have worked in a specific area of mathematics. the Adams Prize is worth approximately £14,000. The prize is awarded in three parts. The first third is paid directly to the candidate; another third is paid to the candidate's institution to fund research expenses; and the final third is paid on publication of a survey paper in the winner's field in a major mathematics journal. The prize has been awarded to many well known mathematicians, including

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...

and Sir William Hodge. The first time it was awarded to a female mathematician was in 2002 when it was awarded to Susan Howson, then a lecturer at the

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

for her work on

number theory Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Ma ...

and

elliptic curves In mathematics, an elliptic curve is a smooth, projective, algebraic curve of genus one, on which there is a specified point . An elliptic curve is defined over a field and describes points in , the Cartesian product of with itself. If t ...

Subject area

* 2014–15: "Algebraic Geometry" * 2015–16: "Applied Analysis". * 2016–17: "Statistical Analysis of Big Data". * 2017–18: “The Mathematics of Astronomy and Cosmology” * 2018–19: “The Mathematics of Networks”

List of prize winners

The complete list of prize winners can be found on th
Adams Prize webpage
on the University of Cambridge's website. The following partial list is compiled from internet sources:

References

{{Mathematics in the United Kingdom Mathematical awards and prizes of the University of Cambridge Awards established in 1848 British science and technology awards Early career awards

Subject area

List of prize winners

See also

References