Grigori Perelman

1966– — Russia

Era: Modern

Brilliance: 10/10 | Stewardship: 8/10 | Composite Index: 80

Proved the Poincaré conjecture. Declined the $1 million prize and the Fields Medal.

"I'm not interested in money or fame. I don't want to be on display like an animal in a zoo."

Biography

Grigori Perelman solved one of mathematics' most famous unsolved problems, the Poincaré conjecture, using revolutionary techniques in geometric topology. His groundbreaking proof earned him the Fields Medal and a $1 million Millennium Prize, both of which he declined, choosing to retreat from public life entirely.

Key Facts

Became a recluse after proving the Poincaré conjecture, avoiding all media attention
Was the first person to decline the Fields Medal in its history
Used Ricci flow with surgery techniques to prove the geometrization conjecture
Posted his proof on arXiv without submitting to peer-reviewed journals
Stated he contributed nothing more to mathematics than Richard Hamilton

Solved million-dollar math problem, rejected the money, became a hermit.

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