On 15 June, the Inamori Foundation announced Dr Masaki Kashiwara, specially appointed professor at the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS), as the recipient of the 2018 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences.
Now in its 34th year, the Kyoto Prize is an international award that recognizes individuals "who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual advancement of mankind". The award has three categories: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy.
Dr Kashiwara, who is also Professor Emeritus, is cited for his "Outstanding Contributions to a Broad Spectrum of Modern Mathematics: Advancement of D-module Theory from Its Foundation". The Inamori Foundation also states that he has "established the theory of D-modules, thereby playing a decisive role in the creation and development of algebraic analysis", and that his "numerous achievements — including the establishment of the Riemann-Hilbert correspondence, its application to representation theory, and construction of crystal basis theory — have exerted great influence on various fields of mathematics and contributed strongly to their development."
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place 10 November 2018 at the Kyoto International Conference Center.
