At mathematics he's at the very top end. For a guy so young I can't remember anybody so decorated at his age. He certainly started out with a bang and has not let it get to his head, which is unusual. Of course he couldn't do what he does if he wasn't brilliant. It's his exceptional talent that's so striking. |
He is very charming and not arrogant. I think he will find himself having a tremendous number of graduate students because he has kind of a magnetic personality. |
The minute we set eyes on him and saw his work we made sure he didn't go anywhere else. It is one of our worries to make sure we keep him here. We had to play our cards carefully and we seem to have played them correctly. |
This work for which he's getting his prize was extremely original and unexpected, and that's partly why he's getting this prize. He was able to use them in [a] very masterful way and solve other longstanding unsolved problems. |