Benson Farb

Benson Farb
Farb at Oberwolfach, 2016
Born	(1967-10-25) October 25, 1967 (age 57)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Cornell University Princeton University
Spouse	Amie Wilkinson ​ (m. 1996)​
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	University of Chicago
Thesis	Relatively Hyperbolic And Automatic Groups With Applications To Negatively Curved Manifolds  (1994)
Doctoral advisor	William Thurston
Doctoral students	Pallavi Dani Kathryn Mann Dan Margalit Karin Melnick Andrew Putman Jennifer Taback

Benson Stanley Farb (born October 25, 1967) is an American mathematician at the University of Chicago. His research fields include geometric group theory and low-dimensional topology.

Early life

A native of Norristown, Pennsylvania, Farb earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University.^[citation needed] In 1994, he obtained his doctorate from Princeton University, under supervision of William Thurston.[1]

Career

Farb has advised over 40 students, including Pallavi Dani, Kathryn Mann, Dan Margalit, Karin Melnick and Andrew Putman.[1]

In 2012 Farb became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.[2] In 2014 he was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Seoul, speaking in the section on Topology.[3] He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.[4] In 2024 he was awarded the Leroy P. Steele Prize for Mathematical Exposition.[5]

Books

• Benson Farb; Dan Margalit (2012). A Primer on Mapping Class Groups. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-14794-9. MR 2850125.[6]
• Farb, Benson; Dennis, R. Keith (1993). Noncommutative Algebra. Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-1-4612-0889-1. MR 1233388.

Personal life

Farb married Amie Wilkinson, professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago, on December 28, 1996. They are professors in the same department.[7]

References

1. Benson Farb at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
2. "List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society". Retrieved December 2, 2012.
3. "ICM Plenary and Invited Speakers". International Mathematical Union. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
4. "New Members Elected in 2021". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
5. Leroy P. Steele Prize 2024
6. Reviews of A Primer on Mapping Class Groups
   • Taylor, Scott A. "A Primer on Mapping Class Groups (review)". www.maa.org. Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
   • Bestvina, Mladen (May 27, 2014). "Book Review: A primer on mapping class groups". Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. 51 (4). American Mathematical Society (AMS): 691–700. doi:10.1090/s0273-0979-2014-01454-5. ISSN 0273-0979.
   • Calegari, Danny (2014). "Review". SIAM Review. 56 (3). Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics: 554–557. JSTOR 24248481.
7. "Amie Wilkinson, Benson S. Farb". New York Times. December 29, 1996. Retrieved December 14, 2021.

External links

• Farb's website at University of Chicago