The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2012 to Endre Szemerédi (Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, and Department of Computer Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA) “for his fundamental contributions to discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science, and in recognition of the profound and lasting impact of these contributions on additive number theory and ergodic theory.”

The Abel Prize is awarded annually since 2003 “for outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics” and, according to Wolfram MathWorld, is “modelled after the Nobel Prize”

There are profiles of Szemerédi (pronounced, according to Nature, “sem-er-ADY”) and descriptions of his work in New Scientist “Pattern master wins million-dollar mathematics prize” and Nature “Mathematician’s ‘irregular mind’ scoops Abel award“.