 john griggs thompson (born october 13, 1932) is a mathematician at the university of florida noted for his work in the field of finite groups. he was awarded the fields medal in 1970, the wolf prize in 1992 and the 2008 abel prize, making him one of four mathematicians to achieve this (along with pierre deligne, john milnor, and jean-pierre serre). ==biography== he received his b.a. from yale university in 1955 and his doctorate from the university of chicago in 1959 under the supervision of saunders mac lane. after spending some time on the mathematics faculty at the university of chicago, he moved in 1970 to the rouse ball professorship in mathematics at the university of cambridge, england, and later moved to the mathematics department of the university of florida as a graduate research professor. he is currently a professor emeritus of pure mathematics at the university of cambridge, and professor of mathematics at the university of florida. he received the abel prize 2008 together with jacques tits.{{cite web | url = http://www.abelprisen.no/en/nyheter/nyhet.html?id=163 | title = thompson and tits share the abel prize for 2008 | publisher = norwegian academy of science and letters | date = 2008-05-17 | accessdate = 2008-05-20 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5xxty4s3z | archivedate = 2008-05-20 | quote = the norwegian academy of science and letters has decided to award the abel prize for 2008 to john griggs thompson, university of florida and jacques tits, collÃ¨ge de france. this was announced by the academyâs president, ole didrik lÃ¦rum, at a press conference in oslo to
1932_births 20th-century_mathematicians Abel_Prize_laureates Fellows_of_Churchill_College,_Cambridge Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society Fields_Medalists Group_theorists Harvard_University_faculty Living_people Members_of_the_Department_of_Pure_Mathematics_and_Mathematical_Statistics Members_of_the_Norwegian_Academy_of_Science_and_Letters Members_of_the_United_States_National_Academy_of_Sciences National_Medal_of_Science_laureates People_from_Franklin_County,_Kansas University_of_Chicago_alumni University_of_Chicago_faculty University_of_Florida_faculty Wolf_Prize_in_Mathematics_laureates Yale_University_alumni