Ian Agol

Professor Ian Agol is a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on low-dimensional topology, hyperbolic geometry, and geometric group theory, with groundbreaking contributions to the topology of 3-manifolds. He has supervised numerous PhD theses and served on editorial boards for leading mathematical journals.

• BS Mathematics, Caltech (1992)
• PhD Mathematics, UC San Diego (1998), advised by Michael Hartley Freedman

Agol’s work addresses fundamental problems in 3-manifold topology, including the virtual Haken conjecture and virtual fibering conjecture. His research combines hyperbolic geometry, geometric group theory, and knot theory to explore the structure and classification of low-dimensional manifolds.

His publications demonstrate expertise in hyperbolic 3-manifolds, special cube complexes, and geometric invariants. Key themes include nonpositively curved geometry, surface subgroup analysis, and algorithmic approaches to topological problems.

• Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics (2015)
• Simons Investigator (2015–2025)
• James H. Simons Chair in Mathematics (2016–2021)
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences member (2024)

Agol has advised 13 PhD students, including James Dix, Ethan Dlugie, and Larsen Linov. He also contributes to mathematical discourse as an associate editor for the Journal of the American Mathematical Society and Annals of Mathematics.