Albrecht Dold (5 August 1928 – 26 September 2011) was a German

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

specializing in

algebraic topology Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics that uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariant (mathematics), invariants that classification theorem, classify topological spaces up t ...

who proved the

Dold–Thom theorem In algebraic topology, the Dold-Thom theorem states that the homotopy groups of the infinite symmetric product of a connected CW complex are the same as its reduced homology groups. The most common version of its proof consists of showing that the ...

, the

Dold–Kan correspondence In mathematics, more precisely, in the theory of simplicial sets, the Dold–Kan correspondence (named after Albrecht Dold and Daniel Kan) states that there is an equivalence between the category of (nonnegatively graded) chain complexes and the ...

, and introduced Dold manifolds, Dold–Puppe stabilization, and Dold fibrations.

Life

Albrecht Dold was born in Triberg, and studied mathematics and physics at

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

, earning a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree in 1954 under the direction of

Herbert Seifert Herbert Karl Johannes Seifert (; 27 May 1907, Bernstadt – 1 October 1996, Heidelberg) was a German mathematician known for his work in topology. Biography Seifert was born in Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, but soon moved to Bautzen, where he atte ...

. He visited the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

in Princeton in 1956–58, and taught at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1960–62 and at the

University of Zürich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

in 1962–63. In 1963 he returned to Heidelberg, where he stayed most of his career, till his retirement in 1996. Dold's work in

, in particular, his work on

fixed-point theory In mathematics, a fixed-point theorem is a result saying that a function ''F'' will have at least one fixed point (a point ''x'' for which ''F''(''x'') = ''x''), under some conditions on ''F'' that can be stated in general terms. In mathematical ...

has made him known in economics as well as mathematics. His book "Lectures on Algebraic Topology" is a standard reference among economists as well as mathematicians. He had 19 doctoral students, including Mónica Clapp,

Eberhard Freitag Eberhard Freitag (born 19 May 1942, in Mühlacker) is a German mathematician, specializing in complex analysis and especially modular forms. Education and career Freitag studied from 1961 mathematics, physics and astronomy at Heidelberg Universi ...

, Volker Puppe, and Carl-Friedrich Bödigheimer, as well as 58 descendants. Dold was married to

Yvonne Dold-Samplonius Yvonne Dold-Samplonius (20 May 1937 – 16 June 2014) was a Dutch mathematician and historian who specialised in the history of Islamic mathematics during the Middle Ages. She was particularly interested in the mathematical methods used by Islamic ...

, a distinguished historian of mathematics.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dold, Albrecht 1928 births 2011 deaths 20th-century German mathematicians 21st-century German mathematicians German topologists Heidelberg University alumni Academic staff of Heidelberg University People from Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis Presidents of the German Mathematical Society