John Milnor
fl. 1931, Orange, New Jersey, United States
TopologyGeometryAlgebra
American mathematician who transformed differential topology, geometry, and dynamical systems through exotic spheres and classification theory.
John Milnor discovered exotic differentiable structures on spheres, showing that a topological sphere need not have the standard smooth structure. His work also introduced important ideas in Morse theory, geometric topology, and dynamical systems. He received the 1962 Fields Medal and the 2011 Abel Prize.
Workplaces: Stony Brook University
United States