Reclusive math genius Grigory Perelman has de facto refused to join the ranks of the Russian Academy of Sciences by not replying to a membership invitation, Interfax reported Monday.
"He hasn't responded to our telegrams or phone calls. And he has not made any attempt to communicate with us either," said an official with the St. Petersburg-based Steklov Institute of Mathematics, which proposed Perelman's candidacy.
Perelman, 44, worked for the institute in the mid-1980s before he traveled to the United States for postdoctoral research. In 2002, he proved the Poincare conjecture, and the Clay Mathematics Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, recognized this with a $1 million prize in 2006. But Perelman refused to collect it.
The institute official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Interfax that the list of candidates for the academy seats had to be submitted by a Tuesday deadline.
The Academy of Sciences faced an internal division in 2010 after several leading members praised Viktor Petrik, a scientist who claimed to have invented filters that turn radioactive water into pure drinking water. Petrik is not a member of the academy, and other members denounced his work as bogus.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
