A week of excellence: 22 of the world’s best computer scientists and mathematicians in Heidelberg

There are only 102 people living around the world that have been distinguished with most renowned prizes in mathematics and computer science: the Abel Prize, the Fields Medal, the Nevanlinna Prize and the ACM A.M. Turing Award. This September 18 – 23, 22 of these laureates will travel to Heidelberg to participate in the 4th HLF, a networking conference for mathematicians and computer scientists.

The famed number theorist, Sir Andrew Wiles will be in attendance, who is the most recent recipient of the Abel Prize. Wiles achieved what generations of his predecessors were unable to: The mathematician brought forward the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, which lay unsolved since its discovery in the 1600s.

In Heidelberg, the laureates meet young researchers that were selected by a scientific committee based on the excellence and professional competence of their application. The 47-member committee reviewed 600 applications and chose 200 young researchers from 50 different nations.

“The large number of applications shows that the HLF has become a fixed feature in world of science in only the fourth year of its existence. Klaus Tschira cultivated this format so that mathematicians and computer scientists have a platform for scientific exchange,” said Beate Spiegel, Chairperson of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF) and the Managing Director of the Klaus Tschira Foundation.

During the week of the HLF, the scientists will introduce their research findings and projects through lectures and intensive discussions, while enough time is allotted for scientific and personal exchange.

The HLF offers the young researchers the unique opportunity to exchange with the experts in their fields in an informal environment. At the same time, the laureates appreciate the interaction with the outstanding young researchers of both disciplines.

Artificial Intelligence is the focus of this year’s Hot Topic, which is composed of lectures from leading experts in the field and concludes with an open discussion for the participants.

The scientific program of the HLF-week also offers participants a chance to look beyond the boundaries and opens the door to other scientific disciplines: The renowned astronomer, Brian Schmidt, who, together with Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess, received the Nobel Prize for Physics 2011 “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe” will be in attendance. Schmidt will deliver the ‘Lindau Lecture’, which signifies the strong bond between the HLF and the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

Background
The Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF) annually organizes the Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), which is a networking event for mathematicians and computer scientists from all over the world. The 4th Heidelberg Laureate Forum will take place from September 18 – 23, 2016. The HLF was initiated by the German foundation Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS), which promotes natural sciences, mathematics and computer science, and the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). The Forum is organized by the HLFF along with the KTS. It is strongly supported by the award-granting institutions, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM: ACM A.M. Turing Award), the International Mathematical Union (IMU: Fields Medal, Nevanlinna Prize), and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (DNVA: Abel Prize).

To the Editors
With this press release, we would like to extend an invitation to attend the Forum as well as to report on the event. Journalists that wish to cover the 4th HLF can use the following link:
https://application.heidelberg-laureate-forum.org/intern/regj_registration_for.p…

Registration and Press Inquiries
Wylder Green
Christiane Schirok
Communications
Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation
Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 33, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany
media[at]heidelberg-laureate-forum.org
Telephone: +49-6221-533-381

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