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Table of Contents

Biography

AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjects

Relationships

PeopleInstitutions

Resources

Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as Subject

Benoît B. Mandelbrot

Photo

Dates

November 20, 1924 – October 14, 2010

Authorized Form of Name

Mandelbrot, Benoît B.

Additional Forms of Names

Mandelbrot, B. B. (Benoît B.)

Mandelbrot, Benoît

Biography

Abstract

Benoit B. Mandelbrot was Sterling Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Sciences at Yale University (1999-2010). Other institutional affiliations included IBM and École Polytechnique. His research interests included applied mathematics and fractals.

Important Dates

November 20, 1924Birth, Warsaw (Poland).

1947Obtained Diplôme d'Ingénieur, École Polytechnique, Paris (France).

1948Obtained MS in Aeronautics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (Calif.).

1949 – 1957Researcher, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) (Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France)), Paris (France).

1950 – 1953Engineer, Color Television Group, Philips Electronics.

1952Obtained PhD in Mathematics, University of Paris (Université de Paris), Paris (France).

1953 – 1954Member, Institute for Advanced Study.

1955 – 1957Instructor in Mathematics and Member of the Séminar Jean Piaget, University of Geneva (Université de Genève).

1957 – 1958Maître de Conférences de Mathématiques Appliquées, University of Lille (Université de Lille).

1957 – 1958Maître de Conférences d‘Analyse Mathématique, École Polytechnique.

1958 – 2010Researcher (1958-1974); Fellow (1974-1993); and Fellow Emeritus (1993-2010), Thomas J. Watson IBM Research Center, International Business Machines Incorporated (IBM), Yorktown Heights (N.Y.).

1962 – 1963Visiting Professor of Economics and Research Fellow in Psychology, Harvard University.

1963 – 1964Visiting Professor of Applied Mathematics and Staff Member of the Joint Committee on Biomedical Computer Science, Harvard University.

1966 – 1967Guest Professor of Mathematics, University of Paris (Université de Paris).

1969 – 1972Member, Committee on the Applications of Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences.

1969 – 1978Senior Staff Member, National Bureau of Economics Research.

1982Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

1984 – 1986Visiting Professor of Mathematics, Harvard University.

1987Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1987 – 1999Abraham Robinson Adjunct Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Yale University.

1988 – 2010Fellow, Saybrook College.

1993Awarded Wolf Foundation Prize in Physics.

1993 – 1996Member, Commission on Mathematical Physics, International Union on Pure and Applied Physics.

1993 – 2010President, Mandelbrot Foundation for Fractals Inc.

1995Academy of Sciences Professor, École Polytechnique.

1999G. C. Steward Visiting Fellow at Gonville and Caius College, and Member, Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University.

1999 – 2010Sterling Professor of Mathematical Sciences (1999-2004) and Sterling Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Sciences (2005-2010), Yale University, New Haven (Conn.).

2004Member, American Philosophical Society.

2005 – 2010Battelle Fellow, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

October 14, 2010Death, Cambridge (Mass.).

Occupation

Applied mathematician.

Places

Birth

Warsaw (Poland)

Undergraduate Education

Paris (France)

Graduate Education

Pasadena (Calif.)

Paris (France)

Employment

Paris (France)

Yorktown Heights (N.Y.)

New Haven (Conn.)

Death

Cambridge (Mass.)

Subjects

Applied mathematics.

Fractals.

Stochastic partial differential equations.

Thermodynamics.

Relationships

People

Family

Mandelbrot, Aliette

Wife.

Mandelbrot, Didier

Son.

Mandelbrot, Laurent

Son.

Advisors & Collaborators

Taqqu, Murad S.

Advised by Mandelbrot at Columbia University.

Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957

PhD advisor at Princeton University.

Colleagues

Anderson, A. G. (Arthur George), 1926-

Both employed at IBM.

Armstrong, J. A. (John A.)

Both employed at IBM.

Awschalom, D. (David)

Both employed at IBM.

Brewer, Richard G.

Both employed at IBM.

Demuth, Joseph, 1946-

Both employed at IBM.

Dolan, Gerald

Both employed at IBM.

Gutzwiller, M. C. (Martin C.)

Both employed at IBM.

Himpsel, F. J.

Both employed at IBM.

Hohenberg, Pierre C.

Both employed at Yale University.

Horn, Paul (Paul M.)

Both employed at IBM.

Kirtley, John R.

Both employed at IBM.

Kryder, Mark H.

Both employed at IBM.

Landauer, Rolf William, 1927-1999

Both employed at IBM.

Lang, Norton D.

Both employed at IBM.

Lieb, Elliott H.

Both employed at IBM.

Louie, Steven G., 1949-

Both employed at IBM.

Thomas, Llewellyn Hilleth, 1903-1992

Both employed at Thomas J. Watson IBM Research Center.

Tromp, R. M.

Both employed at IBM.

Tsuei, Chang C.

Both employed at IBM.

Webb, R. A. (Richard Alan)

Both employed at IBM.

Additional

Gomory, Ralph E.

Ulam, Stanislaw M.

Institutions

Major Positions

Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France)

Researcher.

Ecole polytechnique (France)

Obtained Diplôme d'Ingénieur (1947). Maître de Conférences d‘Analyse Mathématique and Academy of Sciences Professor.

Harvard University

Visiting Professor of Economics; Research Fellow in Psychology; and Staff Member of the Joint Committee on Biomedical Computer Science.

Harvard University. Department of Mathematics

Visiting Professor of Applied Mathematics.

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)

Member.

National Bureau of Economic Research

Senior Staff Member.

Philips Electronics, Inc.

Engineer, Color Television Group.

Thomas J. Watson IBM Research Center

Researcher; International Business Machines (IBM) Fellow; and IBM Fellow Emeritus.

Université de Genève

Instructor in Mathematics and Member of the Séminar Jean Piaget.

Université de Lille

Maître de Conférences de Mathématiques Appliquées.

Université de Paris

Obtained PhD in Mathematics (1952). Guest Professor of Mathematics.

Yale University. Department of Mathematics

Sterling Professor of Mathematical Sciences; Sterling Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Sciences; and Abraham Robinson Adjunct Professor of Mathematical Sciences.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Fellow.

American Philosophical Society

Member.

California Institute of Technology. Division of Engineering and Applied Science

Obtained MS in Aeronautics (1948).

International Union of Pure and Applied Physics

Member, Commission on Mathematical Physics.

Mandelbrot Foundation For Fractals Inc

President.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member and Member, Committee on the Applications of Mathematics.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory

Battelle Fellow.

Saybrook College (Yale University)

Fellow.

University of Cambridge

G. C. Steward Visiting Fellow at Gonville and Caius College, and Member, Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences.

Wolf Foundation Prizes

Received 1993 Wolf Foundation Prize in Physics.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Benoit Mandelbrot papers, 1932-2010.

Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 94305, USA

Physics colloquium: celebration in honor of the 100th birthday of Laszlo Tisza [videorecording], 2007 May 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

Oral history interview with Ralph Gomory, 2010 July 19.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Stanislaw Ulam papers, 1916-1984.

Library

American Philosophical Society

105 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

Published Resources

Author

Benoit Mandelbrot video autobiographical interview.

Fractals : form, chance, and dimension / Benoit B. Mandelbrot.

Multifractals and 1/f noise : wild self-affinity in physics (1963-1976) : selecta volume N / Benoit B. Mandelbrot ; with contributions by J.M. Berger ... [et al.].

The fractalist : memoir of a scientific maverick / Benoit B. Mandelbrot.

Subject

"Interview with Benoit Mandelbrot," in Mathematical People: Profiles and Interviews, ed. Donald J. Albers and G. L. Alexanderson (Boston: Birkhäuser: 1985), 205-226

Benoit Mandelbrot New York Times obituary.

Benoit Mandelbrot Physics Today obituary.

Fractals in physics : essays in honour of Benoit B. Mandelbrot : proceedings of the international conference honouring Benoit B. Mandelbrot on his 65th birthday, Vence, France, 1-4 October, 1989 / editors, Amnon Aharony, Jens Feder.