Terence Tao, UCLA professor of mathematics, today was named a MacArthur fellow for 2006. MacArthur fellows receive unrestricted support to use as they see fit.

"Terence Tao is a mathematician who has developed profound insights into a host of difficult areas, including partial differential equations, harmonic analysis, combinatorics and number theory," the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation said. "His work is characterized by breadth and depth, technical brilliance and profound insight, placing him as one of the outstanding mathematicians of his time."

In August, Tao became the first mathematics professor in UCLA history to be awarded the prestigious Fields Medal, often described as the "Nobel Prize in mathematics." Tao is also one of two UCLA professors on Popular Science magazine's list of "The Brilliant 10" scientists in the October 2006 issue, along with chemistry professor Omar Yaghi.

"For 26 years, the MacArthur Fellows Program has recognized and supported individuals who inspire us," said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton. "This new group of MacArthur Fellows illustrates our conviction that talented and creative individuals, free to follow their insights and instincts, will reveal new discoveries and make a difference in shaping our future."

Nominations for MacArthur Fellows are accepted only from invited nominators, who identify people who demonstrate "exceptional creativity and promise." Each MacArthur fellow will receive $500,000 over five years.

Previous UCLA MacArthur Fellows include Saul Friedlander (1999), who holds UCLA's 1939 Club endowed chair in history; Elinor Ochs (1998), professor of anthropology and applied linguistics; Susan McClary (1995), professor of musicology; Rogers Brubaker (1994), professor of sociology; Richard Turco (1986), professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, and a member of UCLA's Institute of the Environment; and Jared Diamond (1985), professor of geography and environmental health sciences.
For more about Tao's research, see http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=7252&menu=fullsearchresults and http://www.math.ucla.edu/~tao/index.html.

For more about the MacArthur Foundation, see www.macfound.org.

About UCLA

California's largest university, UCLA enrolls approximately 38,000 students per year and offers degrees from the UCLA College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools in dozens of varied disciplines. UCLA consistently ranks among the top five universities and colleges nationally in total research-and-development spending, receiving more than $820 million a year in competitively awarded federal and state grants and contracts. For every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA, the university generates almost $9 in economic activity, resulting in an annual $6 billion economic impact on the Greater Los Angeles region. The university's health care network treats 450,000 patients per year. UCLA employs more than 27,000 faculty and staff, has more than 350,000 living alumni and has been home to five Nobel Prize recipients.

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