The 2018 Carol Karp Prize recognized work on asymptotic differential algebra and the model theory of transseries, highlighting the contributions of Lou van den Dries. Born in 1951 in Ens, Netherlands, he has built a career centered on model theory, influencing the study of o-minimality and the model theory of p-adic and finite fields.
Academic Formation and Early Career
Van den Dries began his undergraduate studies in 1969 at Utrecht University. He completed his doctoral dissertation, titled Model Theory of Fields, in 1978 under the supervision of Dirk van Dalen. Following his studies, he held a position at the Institute for Advanced Study during the 1982–1983 academic year. In 1986, he joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he eventually became a professor in the Center for Advanced Study in 1998.
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The research conducted by van den Dries frequently intersects with o-minimality, valued fields, and transseries. Collaborating with Alex Wilkie, he applied nonstandard methods to improve Gromov's theorem regarding groups of polynomial growth. His professional engagement includes delivering the Tarski Lectures at the University of California, Berkeley in 2017 and participating as an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in both 1990 and 2018. He holds the status of professor emeritus following his 2021 retirement.
Institutional Resistance
Between 2006 and 2009, van den Dries contested the mandatory annual ethics training required for state employees in Illinois. He publicly argued that the requirement functioned as an infantilizing, Orwellian tool. As the first state employee fined by the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission for his non-compliance, he eventually settled the matter with a $500 payment. He stated that the cost of legal fees and the lack of active support from colleagues rendered further resistance unsustainable.
Awards and Professional Membership
The Association for Symbolic Logic awarded him the Shoenfield Prize in 2016 for his chapter on the model theory of valued fields. In 2018, he shared the Carol Karp Prize with collaborators Matthias Aschenbrenner and Joris van der Hoeven. Since 1993, he has served as a corresponding member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Fast facts
- Born: 1951, Ens, Netherlands
- Doctoral Alma Mater: Utrecht University
- Primary Field: Model theory
- Key Employer: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- 2016 Award: Shoenfield Prize
- 2018 Award: Carol Karp Prize
- Status: Professor emeritus
- Professional Membership: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Questions readers ask
What specific area of mathematics is Lou van den Dries best known for?
He is recognized for his work in o-minimality, as well as contributions to the model theory of p-adic fields, valued fields, and transseries.
Why was he fined by the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission?
He refused to complete mandatory state-required annual ethics training between 2006 and 2009, leading to a $500 fine.
Achievements
- Shoenfield Prize — 2016
- Carol Karp Prize — 2018
- Held posts at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Fields: mathematics and model theory
