Scienceגיל קלעי

Gil Kalai

Gil Kalai is an Israeli mathematician and computer scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, known for work in combinatorics and for his skepticism about quantum computing.

born 1955Skepticism about quantum computingSolving Borsuk's problemSubexponential simplex algorithm variantsWork on the Hirsch conjecture

Born: 2 October 1955, Tel Aviv
Occupation: mathematician, computer scientist
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Gil Kalai was born in 1955 in Tel Aviv

Gil Kalai was born on October 2, 1955, in Tel Aviv. His father, Hanoch Kalai, was a commander in the Irgun and a co-founder of Lehi.

He earned his PhD at the Hebrew University in 1983 under Micha Perles. He then did postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kalai joined the Hebrew University faculty in 1985 and later became professor emeritus there. He also taught computer science at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and held an adjunct post at Yale University. His research includes subexponential variants of the simplex algorithm, sharp phase transitions in graph properties, a solution to Borsuk's problem and work on the Hirsch conjecture.

He edited the Israel Journal of Mathematics from 1995 to 2001. He argues that true quantum computing cannot be achieved because of limits on quantum error correction, and he has stated a series of conjectures on this. He has debated the question in public with other researchers.

Gil Kalai's life in 10 milestones

1955
Born in Tel Aviv.
1983
Received his PhD from the Hebrew University.
1985
Joined the Hebrew University faculty.
1992
Received the Pólya Prize.
1994
Received the Fulkerson Prize.
1995
Became editor-in-chief of the Israel Journal of Mathematics.
2012
Won the Rothschild Prize in mathematics.
2016
Elected honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
2018
Gave a plenary talk at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Rio de Janeiro.
2023
Named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society.