World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
William P. Thurston

William P. Thurston

D-Index & Metrics

Mathematics

D-Index
54
Citations
26228
World Ranking
807
National Ranking
391

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2012 - Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research
  • 1983 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1982 - Fields Medal of International Mathematical Union (IMU) Revolutionized study of topology in 2 and 3 dimensions, showing interplay between analysis, topology, and geometry. Contributed idea that a very large class of closed 3-manifolds carry a hyperbolic structure.
  • 1974 - Fellow of Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Overview

William P. Thurston was affiliated with Cornell University in the United States. Their research primarily focused on Agricultural and Biological Sciences, with a particular emphasis on Plant Science, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Ecology, Genetics, and Atmospheric Science.

The scientist's main research topics spanned Avian ecology and behavior, Plant Pathogens and Resistance, Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior, Plant and animal studies, Vector-Borne Animal Diseases, Viral Infections and Vectors, and Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology.

They contributed to multiple publications in various scientific journals over recent years. Notable papers include:

  • Origin of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 8 Outbreak in Cyprus, September 2016 (2020, Viruses)
  • Foraging Behaviours of Breeding Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea and the Impact of Local Weather and Fisheries (2022, Frontiers in Marine Science)
  • Irrigation can create new green bridges that promote rapid intercontinental spread of the wheat stem rust pathogen (2022, Environmental Research Letters)
  • Global warming and arctic terns: Estimating climate change impacts on the world's longest migration (2023, Global Change Biology)
  • A framework for modelling desert locust population dynamics and large-scale dispersal (2024, PLoS Computational Biology)

The venues where William P. Thurston had frequent publications included Viruses, Environmental Research Letters, Global Change Biology, PLoS Computational Biology, and Frontiers in Marine Science.

Their research collaborations involved several coauthors who frequently contributed to their work. Key collaborators were:

  • Christopher A. Gilligan
  • Renata Retkutė
  • David Hodson
  • Jacob W. Smith
  • Joanne M. Morten

William P. Thurston received several awards during their career. These included the Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research in 2012, election as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1983, and the Fields Medal from the International Mathematical Union in 1982. The Fields Medal recognized their work in revolutionizing the study of topology in two and three dimensions, highlighting the interplay between analysis, topology, and geometry, as well as the idea that a large class of closed 3-manifolds carry a hyperbolic structure. Early in their career, they were also a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 1974.

Best Publications

  • Three-Dimensional Geometry and Topology

    William P. Thurston;Silvio Levy

  • The geometry and topology of 3-manifolds

    William P. Thurston

  • Three dimensional manifolds, Kleinian groups and hyperbolic geometry

    William P. Thurston

  • Three-Dimensional Geometry and Topology, Volume 1: Volume 1

    Unknown

  • Word processing in groups

    David B. A. Epstein;M. S. Paterson;J. W. Cannon;D. F. Holt

  • On the geometry and dynamics of diffeomorphisms of surfaces

    William P. Thurston

  • The geometry and topology of three-manifolds

    William P. Thurston

  • On iterated maps of the interval

    John Milnor;William Thurston

  • A norm for the homology of 3-manifolds

    W. P. Thurston

  • On Proof and Progress in Mathematics.

    William P. Thurston

  • Some simple examples of symplectic manifolds

    W. P. Thurston

  • Rotation distance, triangulations, and hyperbolic geometry

    Daniel D. Sleator;Daniel D. Sleator;Daniel D. Sleator;Robert Endre Tarjan;William P. Thurston;William P. Thurston;William P. Thurston

  • Incompressible surfaces in 2-bridge knot complements

    A. Hatcher;W. Thurston

  • A presentation for the mapping class group of a closed orientable surface

    A. Hatcher;W. Thurston

  • Hyperbolic Structures on 3-manifolds, II: Surface groups and 3-manifolds which fiber over the circle

    William P. Thurston

  • Conway's tiling groups

    William P. Thurston

  • Hyperbolic structures on 3-manifolds I: Deformation of acylindrical manifolds

    William P. Thurston

  • On the existence of contact forms

    W. P. Thurston;H. E. Winkelnkemper

  • Minimal stretch maps between hyperbolic surfaces

    William P. Thurston

  • Shapes of polyhedra and triangulations of the sphere

    William P. Thurston

  • Separators for sphere-packings and nearest neighbor graphs

    Gary L. Miller;Shang-Hua Teng;William Thurston;Stephen A. Vavasis

  • Pinching constants for hyperbolic manifolds

    M. Gromov;W. Thurston

Frequent Co-Authors

Gary L. Miller
Gary L. Miller Carnegie Mellon University
Daniel D. Sleator
Daniel D. Sleator Carnegie Mellon University
Stephen A. Vavasis
Stephen A. Vavasis University of Waterloo
Shang-Hua Teng
Shang-Hua Teng University of Southern California
Robert E. Tarjan
Robert E. Tarjan Princeton University
Jack Snoeyink
Jack Snoeyink University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
John H. Conway
John H. Conway Princeton University
Jeffrey C. Lagarias
Jeffrey C. Lagarias University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Allen Hatcher
Allen Hatcher Cornell University
Daniel H. Huson
Daniel H. Huson University of Tübingen

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in expanding their career options beyond traditional Mathematics roles, a range of online degrees offer valuable pathways. Business professionals often consider the easy online mba programs, which combine flexibility with a strong grounding in management principles. These programs are designed for those looking to quickly boost their credentials without compromising on quality.

For aspiring executives and consultants, pursuing the cheapest aacsb online dba offers an affordable pathway to a Doctor of Business Administration degree from accredited institutions, which can significantly enhance career advancement opportunities.

Those aiming for finance-related careers might explore an online master of finance online program. These degrees provide critical financial expertise and analytical skills that complement a strong mathematical background, increasing employability in sectors like banking and investment.

Additionally, professionals seeking rapid upskilling can benefit from the shortest mba program online. These accelerated programs help students gain relevant business knowledge quickly, enabling swift transitions into leadership roles.

Best Scientists Citing William P. Thurston

Recently Published Articles