René Thom

René Thom (September 2, 1923 - October 25, 2002) was a French mathematician and founder of the catastrophe theory[?]. He received the Fields Medal in 1958.

Biography

René Thom was born in Montbéliard, France. He was educated at Lycée Saint-Louis[?] and École Normale Supérieure[?] and went on to teach at Grenoble and Strasbourg.

While he is most known for his development of catastrophe theory in 1968 he was awarded a Fields Medal in 1958 for his earlier work on topology.

René Thom died on October 25, 2002, in a small town near Paris.

Bibliography

• Structural Stability and Morphogenesis (1972)

External links and References

• Martin Weil, French Mathematician Rene Thom Dies, Washington Post, November 17 (2002), p. C10
  • Online edition (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64970-2002Nov16.html) (free registration)