Efim Zelmanov

Efim Zelmanov — math (fields medal) with roots in the Fluent

Efim Zelmanov is a Russian-American mathematician who was awarded the Fields Medal in 1994 for his solution to the Restricted Burnside Problem — a major open question in group theory that had stood for decades. He was born in Khabarovsk, USSR, and later emigrated to the United States.

Tracing the roots — USSR

Born in Khabarovsk in 1955 and educated at Novosibirsk State University and Leningrad State University, Zelmanov is a product of the Soviet mathematical tradition — one of the most powerful intellectual cultures in the 20th century. He emigrated to the US after the Soviet collapse and joined the University of California, San Diego.

A career defined by ambition