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Jerrold B. Tunnell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jerrold Bates Tunnell September 16, 1950 |
| Died | April 1, 2022 (aged 71) Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvey Mudd College Harvard University |
| Known for | Langlands–Tunnell theorem Tunnell's theorem |
| Awards | Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Rutgers University |
| Thesis | On the Local Langlands Conjecture for GL(2) (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Tate |
Jerrold Bates Tunnell (September 16, 1950 – April 1, 2022) was a mathematician known for his work in number theory. He was an associate professor of mathematics at Rutgers University.
Tunnell was born on September 16, 1950, in Dallas, Texas.[1]
He graduated from Harvey Mudd College in 1972.[2][3] He received his PhD in Mathematics from Harvard University in 1977.[4][5][3] His thesis, On the Local Langlands Conjecture for GL(2), was advised by John Tate.[5]
After graduation, Tunnell taught at Princeton University and was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study from 1982 to 1983.[4][3] He joined the mathematics faculty at Rutgers University in 1983,[3] eventually becoming an associate professor of mathematics.[6] He advised 7 PhD students.[3]
In 1981, Tunnell generalized Langlands' work on the Artin conjecture, establishing a special case known as the Langlands–Tunnell theorem that later became a key component in the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.[7][8]
He proved Tunnell's theorem in 1983, which gives a partial unconditional solution to the congruent number problem and a complete solution conditional on the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture.[9]
In 2013, Tunnell was elected in the inaugural class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society.[10]
Starting in 2004, Tunnell made cross-country cycling trips from Highland Park, New Jersey, to Syracuse, New York, in every U.S. election cycle.[11]
Tunnell died on April 1, 2022, in rural Texas.[1][3] He was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle from St. Augustine, Florida, to his 50th class reunion at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California.[3]