Stephen Smale

Stephen Smale (born July 15, 1930) is an American mathematician from Flint, Michigan. His research concerns topology, dynamical systems and mathematical economics. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1966, and spent more than three decades on the mathematics faculty of the University of California, Berkeley (1960–1961 and 1964–1995).

In 1960 Smale was appointed an associate professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, moving to a professorship at Columbia University the following year. In 1964 he returned to a professorship at UC Berkeley where he has spent the main part of his career. He retired from UC Berkeley in 1995 and took up a post as professor at the City University of Hong Kong. He also amassed over the years one of the finest private mineral collections in existence. Many of Smale's mineral specimens can be seen in the book—The Smale Collection: Beauty in Natural Crystals.

Since 2002 Smale is a Professor at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago; starting August 1, 2009, he is also a Distinguished University Professor at the City University of Hong Kong.

In 2007, Smale was awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics.

Notable awards

• Wolf Prize (2007)
• National Medal of Science (1996)
• Chauvenet Prize (1988)[1]
• Fields Medal (1966)
• Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry (1966)
• Sloan Fellowship (1960)