All You Need To Know About Mathematician Neena Gupta, 3rd Woman Ever To Win The Ramanujan Prize

All You Need To Know About Mathematician Neena Gupta, 3rd Woman Ever To Win The Ramanujan Prize

One of the subjects that intimidated me back in school and still do is mathematics. I’ll be honest, I don’t despise the subject, I just don’t understand numbers as well as I understand words. Having said that, people who do anything that is remotely interconnected with mathematics impress me a lot. Why? Well, because I consider them to be hell-a smart. Of course, I’m not well-versed in the subject but I have an idea of what is going on in the field. The latest update in the field of mathematics is that a mathematician by the name of Neena Gupta became the 4th Indian and 3rd woman ever to win the prestigious Ramanujan Prize 2021. 

Neena Gupta is a mathematician and professor in the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, who was awarded with the 2021 DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize for young mathematicians from developing countries. She was born and brought up in Kolkata, did her schooling at Khalsa High School, Dunlop, after which she graduated with BSc. Maths (H) at Bethune College in 2006, and got her Masters and Ph.D. in Mathematics from the Indian Statistical Institute in 2008 and 2011 respectively. 

Indian mathematician Neena Gupta received the prestigious award for her unparalleled work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra – in particular her solution to the Zariski cancellation problem for affine spaces. Gupta was humbled by the achievement and said that it was truly an honour to have received it, yet she believes that a lot of work needs to be done when it comes to the field of commutative algebra.

She is also known for providing a counter-example over a field of positive characteristics to the special Zariski Cancellation Problem. In fact, her solution that solved the Zariski cancellation problem also won Neena Gupta the 2014 Young Scientists Award of the Indian National Science Academy. Her achievements also include the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (2019), the TWAS Young Affiliates (2020), Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2021), The Swarna Jayanti Fellowship Award, Department of Science and Technology (India) (2015), The inaugural Professor A. K. Agarwal Award for best research publication by the Indian Mathematical Society (2014)The inaugural Professor A. K. Agarwal Award for best research publication by the Indian Mathematical Society (2014), The Ramanujan Prize from the University of Madras (2014), Associateship of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2013), and The Saraswathi Cowsik Medal by the TIFR Alumni Association for her work on the Zariski Cancellation Problem in positive characteristic (2013). 

Also Read: Neena Gupta Reveals She Borrowed Her Cook’s Salwar Kameez To Land A Role In ‘Badhaai Ho’

Talking to Indian Express about her achievement, Neena Gupta said, “I feel honoured to receive this prize however, this is not enough. As a researcher, I feel there are a lot more mathematical problems that we have to find a solution for. Getting recognised for the work definitely motivates me to work harder in the research field.”

Neena Gupta became the third woman ever to receive the Ramanujan Prize, which was first awarded in the year 2005. She also became the fourth Indian to win this prize. Talking about how there is a stereotype that men do better than women in calculative subjects, the professor said, “Earlier during my post-graduation, I was the only girl in my class. But now when I am a professor, I see more women pursuing the maths field. One reason could be awareness among youth as well as parents who now give opportunities to their daughters to pursue their interests.”

Just knowing about how much she’s achieved in her career makes me fill up with pride. In a field that is dominated by men, it is good to see that a woman is making a difference and achieving such heights.

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