Peter D. Lax

Mathematician Peter Lax achieved fame for his work on wave theory, making discoveries that are used in airplane design, weather prediction, and telecommunications signaling. A refugee from the Nazis, Lax spent most of his career at New York University's Courant Institute, where he served as director from 1972 to 1980. Among his many awards, he was given the Abel Prize in 2005, one of the highest honors in mathematics. Updated 2009