Professor Richard Stanley received the 2003 Rolf Schock Prize in Mathematics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences "for his fundamental contributions to combinatorics and its relationship to algebra and geometry, in particular for his important contributions to the theory of convex polytopes and his innovative work on enumerative combinatorics."

The Full Citation:

Richard P. Stanley has made many pioneering contributions to combinatorics, the branch of mathematics that studies mainly finite structures. In addition, he has forcefully and with great originality contributed to the discovery of new connections between combinatorics and other areas of mathematics, to great mutual benefit.

Among his most significant results are his contributions to the study of convex polytopes, the bodies that in higher dimensions correspond to three-dimensional polyhedra (such as cubes and pyramids), especially his proof of necessity in the characterisation of f-vectors of simplicial polytopes via algebraic geometry (toric varieties). Furthermore, he has produced first-rate work prompted by enumerative problems, which he often solves in unexpected ways using techniques from primarily commutative algebra, algebraic and convex geometry, and representation theory. His ideas have not only influenced and altered combinatorics profoundly and permanently; they have also stimulated research in these other mentioned areas.

Stanley's scientific production is marked by clarity, breadth, substance and originality. The methods he has introduced are innovative and have led to decisive progress in many problem areas of mathematics. He has also spent much effort in writing graduate-level textbooks that have rapidly set the norm.

The Rolf Schock Prize:

The versatile philosopher and artist Rolf Schock (1933-1986) describes in his will a prize to be awarded in such widely differing subjects as logic and philosophy, mathematics, the visual arts and music. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music have awarded these prizes every other year since 1993.

In years when awards are made, the prize winners are chosen at plenary sessions of the academies in the spring, and the prizes are awarded at a joint ceremony in the autumn.

Princess Christina, Mrs Magnuson, is to award the prizes at a ceremony at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music on 23 October 2003.

-- From a Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announcement