Raman Parimala

Raman Parimala is the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Mathematics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds academic positions at leading institutions including the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (Mumbai), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), and the University of Lausanne. Her research focuses on algebra, algebraic geometry, number theory, and topology, with significant contributions to quadratic forms and the arithmetic of algebraic groups.

Education:

• B.Sc. from Saradha Vidyalaya Girls' High School and Stella Maris College (Chennai)
• M.Sc. (1970) and Ph.D. (1976) from Madras and Bombay Universities, respectively

Research Interests: Parimala’s work combines tools from number theory, algebraic geometry, and topology. She is renowned for her studies on quadratic forms, the Serre conjecture, and the u-invariant of p-adic function fields. Her research bridges abstract algebra with geometric insights, contributing to the understanding of classical groups and cohomological dimensions.

Awards:

• Bhatnagar Prize (1987)
• TWAS Prize in Mathematics (2005) – first woman honored in mathematics or physics
• Srinivasa Ramanujan Birth Centenary Award (2003)
• Honorary Doctorate from the University of Lausanne (1999)
• Invited/plenary speaker at International Congresses of Mathematicians (1994, 2010)

Contributions: She has advanced the study of quadratic spaces, including the first example of a nontrivial quadratic space over an affine plane, and contributed to resolving conjectures by Serre and Witt. Her work on the u-invariant of p-adic function fields remains influential.

Career Highlights: Parimala has mentored numerous researchers, promoted women in mathematics, and held visiting positions at UC Berkeley, Chicago, and Paris. She is a Fellow of India’s three major science academies.