The 1999 Loeve Prize: Alain-Sol Sznitman
Professor Sznitman is best known for his work in two areas.
His early work on
``propagation of chaos" deals with statistical physics models
of interacting particles, where the overall density of particles
changes according to some differential equation while
individual particles behave randomly and almost independently.
Subsequently he worked on random motion amongst traps.
Here long-run survival probabilities depend on two effects;
one can survive by moving unusually slowly, or by reaching
a region with unusually few traps. Studying the interplay between
these effects requires intricate analysis.
This area was summarized in his 1998 book
Brownian motion, obstacles and random media.