معرفی
Abigail Thompson, born June 30, 1958, is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Davis. She holds a B.A. from Wellesley College (1979) and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University (1986). Her research focuses on 3-dimensional topology, particularly structures of 3-manifolds, thin position, and Heegaard splittings. She has been a faculty member at UC Davis since 1988 and directs the California State Summer School in Mathematics and Science.
Key awards include the 2003 Satter Prize for her work on thin position and 3-manifolds. She has held prestigious fellowships like the Sloan Foundation (1991–93) and the National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (1988–1991). Her contributions include groundbreaking papers on thin position techniques, knot theory, and Heegaard splittings, advancing the recognition of 3-spheres and understanding of manifold structures.
Her research trends emphasize geometric topology, with articles exploring knot complements, Seifert surfaces, and topological invariants of manifolds. Current work extends to alternating links and 4-manifold invariants. Thompson has collaborated widely, including with Martin Scharlemann and Joel Hass, producing influential results on low-dimensional topology.
