KFF - KFIP - Winners Announced for 2010

Riyadh, Monday 25 Muharram 1431H occurring 11 January 2010G, HRH Prince Khalid Alfaisal, Director of The King Faisal Foundation, tonight announced the winners of the King Faisal International Prize.

The King Faisal International Prize for Science (Mathematics) for the year 1431H - 2010G has been awarded jointly to:

IBM von Neumann Professor Institute for Advanced Study
Princeton University

James and Carol Collins Chair of Mathematics University of California,
Los Angeles

Professor Bombieri has made pioneering contributions to various branches of mathematics. His work is characterized by originality, power, and clarity of exposition, addressing fundamental and difficult problems in number theory, algebraic geometry, complex analysis, and minimal surfaces.

Professor Tao is a world-renowned mathematician working in a number of branches of mathematics including harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, combinatorics, number theory, and signal processing. He is known for his highly original solutions of very difficult and important problems and for his technical brilliance in the use of the necessary mathematical machinery.

The King Faisal International Prize for Medicine (Non-Arthroplasty Management of Degenerative Joint Disease) for the year 1431H - 2010G has been awarded jointly to:

Chairman Emeritus, Orthopaedics Department, University of Bern

Head of Osteoarthritis, Montreal University

Joint Director of the Osteoarthritis Research Unit,
Montreal University

Prof. Ganz dedicated his career to the study and treatment of diseases of the hip joint. He has carried out seminal anatomical research that contributed substantially to the understanding of the blood supply to the acetabulum and femoral head. He also devised a new surgical strategy for treatment of the prearthritic hip. These achievements have led to his recognition as a leading authority on conservative hip surgery.

Professors Jean Pelletier and Johanne Pelletier have contributed substantially to translational research in the field of osteroarthritis. Their original work has led to major discoveries in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis, particularly joint catabolism and repair. These studies have paved the way to identification of therapeutic targets. In addition they develop an innovative technology for the quantitative assessment of changes and alteration in cartridge and other articular tissues.

The King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Language and Literature (Studies Dealing with Arabic Grammatical Thought) for the year 1431H - 2010G has been awarded jointly to:

Professor Elhaj-Saleh received the award in recognition of his insightful analysis of al-Khalil's linguistic theory, its relation to contemporary grammatical thought, its originality and its place among other grammatical concepts, as well as his prominent contributions to the advancement of Arabic linguistics and Arabicization movement.

Professor Baalabakki is recognized for his outstanding original research on Arabic grammatical thought. His publications, in Arabic and English, have enhanced Arabic grammar education in western institutions and familiarized western researchers with the fundamental manuscript of Si-Bawaihi, a revered ancient scholar and founder of Arabic grammar, whose thoughts and methods have profoundly influenced his successors to the present day.

The Prize for Service to Islam has been awarded to:

whose achievements, in political and administrative terms, have set an example of judicious leadership in the Islamic world. Erdoğan's contributions during his tenure as mayor of Istanbul have been instrumental to the progress of that city. Following his election as Prime Minister of Turkey, he embarked on a series of reforms that quickly established him as a statesman of enormous dimension, while his unyielding position on various Islamic and global issues has gained him the respect of the entire Islamic nation and the rest of the world.

Nationally, Erdoğan has pioneered a major campaign of economic, social and cultural reforms that paved the way for substantial national development and placed Turkey among the world's leading countries, economically and industrially, without compromising his ideals of democracy and justice. With the strong support of his citizens, he has also rendered an outstanding service to Islam by fiercely defending the rights and just causes of the Islamic nation, particularly the rights of the Palestinian people. At the global level, Erdoğan was one of the Muslim founders of the call for understanding between civilizations, and a strong advocate of dialogue, peaceful co-existence and international cooperation between different cultures throughout the world.