Ieke Moerdijk appointed to honorary chair at UCLouvain

Belgian university praises Utrecht mathematician

On 6 September 2022, Utrecht University distinguished professor Ieke Moerdijk received the De La Vallée Poussain chair at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain). Since 2002, this chair has been given to an internationally leading mathematician each year.

Exceptional contributions

Marino Gran, head of the institute that organizes the chair, explains why Moerdijk was honoured with the chair this year: “Professor Moerdijk is a prominent mathematician, with various exceptional contributions in many fields of mathematics, including topology, category theory and differential geometry. His ability to go beyond the boundaries of different mathematical subjects, and to find and explore new and unexpected paths among them, is remarkable. Furthermore, he wrote several influential books that have become the classical references in their field. He is also an excellent speaker, who is able to explain mathematical ideas and results in a simple and intuitive way.”

Ieke Moerdijk’s ability to go beyond the boundaries of different mathematical subjects, and to find and explore new and unexpected paths among them, is remarkable

Marino Gran, head of the Institut de Recherche en Mathématique et Physique

Spinoza Prize winner

Ieke Moerdijk received his PhD in Mathematics in 1985. In 2006, he was elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), and in 2014 of the Academia Europaea. In 2012 he was awarded the Spinoza Prize, the highest Dutch science award.

Robbert Dijkgraaf

The honorary chair entrusted to Moerdijk is named after Charles de la Vallée Poussin (1855- 1962). This Belgian mathematician rose to fame in 1896, when he proved the prime number theorem. He also taught mathematical analysis at the UCLouvian for over 60 years. One of the earlier recipients of the De la Vallée Poussin chair is Robbert Dijkgraaf, the current minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands.