Andrew Wiles is a British mathematician best known for proving Fermat's Last Theorem, a problem that had remained unsolved for over 350 years. Born on April 11, 1953, in Cambridge, England, Wiles showed an early interest in mathematics. He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Oxford and his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
In the early 1990s, while a professor at Princeton University, Wiles began working in secret on proving Fermat's Last Theorem. After years of dedicated effort, he announced a proof in 1993 during a series of lectures in Cambridge. However, an error was found in the proof, which he corrected with the help of his former student Richard Taylor. The finalized proof was published in 1995.
Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem is considered one of the most significant achievements in modern mathematics. His work earned him numerous awards and honors, including the International Mathematical Union's Silver Plaque, the Royal Medal of the Royal Society, and the prestigious Abel Prize in 2016. He has held professorships at both Princeton University and the University of Oxford, where he continues to contribute to the field of number theory.
| Coauthor | Papers Together |
|---|---|
| Andrew Snowden | 4 |
| Christopher Skinner | 4 |
| J. Coates | 3 |
| Barry Mazur | 3 |
| Stefan Patrikis | 2 |
| Elon Lindenstrauss | 1 |
| François-Xavier Dehon | 1 |
| Karl Rubin | 1 |
| Richard Taylor | 1 |
| James A. Carlson | 1 |
| Arthur Jaffe | 1 |
| Jean Lannes | 1 |
| Stephano Luzzatto | 1 |
| Claire Skinner | 1 |
| Mirela Çiperiani | 1 |
| Pierre de Fermat | 1 |
| Warwick Tucker | 1 |