15/06/2021

Wolmer Vasconcelos, from Pernambuco, dies at age 84.

Crédito: Jürgen Herzog

Wolmer Vasconcelos, from Pernambuco, died this Monday (14), at the age of 84. A professor at Rutgers University and a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) , he became known for his work in commutative algebra, algebraic geometry, computational algebra and various applications. He also dedicated himself to the development of methods and algorithms for symbolic computation systems.

“Wolmer played an important role in the advancement of algebra in our country. Even abroad, he continued collaborating with colleagues in Brazil and mentoring Brazilian students with great expertise,” commented Marcelo Viana, Director-General of IMPA.

Vasconcelos graduated in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and had a brief stint at IMPA in 1961. He then pursued a doctorate at the University of Chicago, where he was mentored by Irving Kaplansky. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University, he became a professor at Rutgers University, where he built his professional career.

"His doctoral thesis was an alternative and simpler proof of Serre's famous theorem on the homological characterization of regular local rings. He began his career at Cornell University, then as a full professor at Rutgers University. As a frequent visitor to the country, he collaborated extensively with Brazilian researchers. He is a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. The Academy thus loses one of its most acclaimed and beloved members," said Professor Aron Simis of UFPE, a friend and collaborator of Vasconcelos.

In his academic career, the researcher authored over 120 publications, in addition to serving as editor of Communications in Algebra for 15 years and of the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society for 10 years.

Source: Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC)