Yves Meyer, Ingrid Daubechies, Terence Tao and Emmanuel Candès 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research

In the course of its online meeting, the Jury for the 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, made up of Jesús del Álamo, Juan Luis Arsuaga Ferreras, César Cernuda Rego, Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturáin, Miguel Delibes de Castro, Elena García Armada, Clara Grima Ruiz, Amador Menéndez Velázquez, Sir Salvador Moncada, Concepción Alicia Monje Micharet, Ginés Morata Pérez, Enrique Moreno González, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Peregrina Quintela Estévez, Manuel Toharia Cortés, María Vallet Regí, chaired by Pedro Miguel Echenique Landiríbar and with Santiago García Granda acting as secretary, has unanimously decided to bestow the 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific and Research on Yves Meyer (France), Ingrid Daubechies (Belgium/USA), Terence Tao (Australia/USA) and Emmanuel Candès (France) for their immeasurable, ground-breaking contributions to mathematical theories and techniques for data processing, which have extraordinarily expanded our sensorial capabilities of observation and which constitute the foundations and backbone of the modern digital age.

For their part, Yves Meyer and Ingrid Daubechies have led the development of the modern mathematical theory of wavelets, which are like mathematical heartbeats that enable us to approach Van Gogh and discover his style or to listen to the music enclosed in the apparent noise of the Universe, among many other applications of all kinds. In short, they enable us to visualize what we cannot see and listen to what we cannot hear.

On the other hand, in addition to the undeniable advances in medical imaging and other diagnostic tests derived from the collaboration between Terence Tao and Emmanuel Candès, their contributions to the techniques of compressed sensing enable us to complete electromagnetic signals or reconstruct melodies from which time has stolen notes.

This Award highlights the social contribution of mathematics and its importance as a cross-cutting element in all branches of science.

23rd June 2020