Abel prize 2008 awarded to John G. Thompson and Jacques Tits

May 20, 2008 Today, the King Harald V of Norway awarded the Abel Prize which, along with the Fields Medal is one of the two most important mathematical prizes, to John G. Thompson and Jacques Tits. They received the award for their "outstanding achievements in algebra and especially for their shaping of modern group theory".

The Norwegian Academy of Science announced the names of the prize winners at the beginning of April. The prize, which includes a €750,000 award to the winner, has been awarded every year since 2003 and it is named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802 - 1829).