In Memoriam: Goro Shimura

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Photo: Orren Jack Turner

Mathematics professor emeritus GORO SHIMURA died May 3 in Princeton. He was 89. Shimura joined the faculty in 1964 after two years as a visiting professor, and he retired in 1999. He wrote pioneering papers in modern number theory, arithmetic geometry, and automorphic forms.

Professor Peter Sarnak said that what are known as the Shimura varieties are at the heart of geometric theory. Shimura also formulated a conjecture in 1964 that would become a key to then-Princeton professor Andrew Wiles’ solution of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Shimura published more than 100 papers and books, including his 2008 autobiography, The Map of My Life.