Neena Gupta, a mathematician and professor at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, has been awarded the 2021 DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize for young mathematicians from developing countries. She received the prize for her outstanding work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, in particular for her solution to the Zariski cancellation problem for affine spaces.
Humbled by the achievement, Neena said that it is an honour to receive the award but there is a lot more to be done in the field of commutative algebra. Her solution for solving the Zariski cancellation problem earned her the 2014 Young Scientists Award of the Indian National Science Academy. Gupta was born and brought up in Kolkata. She completed her schooling at Khalsa High School, Dunlop after which she went to study BSc Maths (H) at Bethune College. She earned a masters and PhD in mathematics from the Indian Statistical Institute.
“Mathematics has always been my favourite subject since childhood. However till very late, I had no idea that I could even pursue a degree let alone have a career in mathematics. One of my seniors introduced me to BSc Maths (H) course and I was elated with the opportunity to learn and solve maths problems,” Gupta shared.
Gupta is the third woman to receive the Ramanujan Prize, which was first awarded in 2005. She is the fourth Indian to win this prestigious prize. Prior to her, three of the other four winners are also associated with the ISI Kolkata.
