Updated on: Thursday, March 24, 2011
Professor John Milnor of Stony Brook University in New York has won the 6 million kroner (USD 1 million) Abel Prize for mathematics.
The award committee cited Milnor's "pioneering discoveries in topology, geometry and algebra" in the prize announcement.
It said his "profound ideas and fundamental discoveries have largely shaped the mathematical landscape of the second half of the 20th century."
The annual Abel Prize was created by the Norwegian government in 2003 and is awarded to candidates who have contributed to the mathematical sciences.
The winner is selected by an international committee of five mathematicians. The prize will be handed out at May 24 ceremony in Oslo.