New Book Honors Professor Vladas Sidoravicius

Vladas cover2
Jun 30 2021

Friends and colleagues have come together to celebrate the academic achievements of the  late Professor of Mathematics Vladas Sidoravicius, who passed away unexpectedly in 2019, in a festschrift, an honorary volume of academic papers, titled In and Out of Equilibrium 3: Celebrating Vladas Sidoravicius. Sidoravicius’ former co-authors contributed 33 original research papers in the fields of probability and statistical physics in memory of his numerous academic contributions.

“The idea of preparing this volume emerged quite naturally during the XXIII Brazilian School of Probability which was dedicated to Vladas’ memory in late July of 2019. Vladas was one of the founders of the school back in 1997, as well as several other similar events in Brazil and other countries, where he made a great contribution to our field in South America,” said Professor Eulália Vares of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, who co-edited the festschrift along with NYU Shanghai Professor of Practice in Mathematics  Roberto Fernández, Professor Luiz Renato Fontes of the University of São Paulo, and NYU Professor of Mathematics Charles M. Newman. “The impressive participation of the community reflects how close Vladas was to so many researchers in the area. Most of all, I am sure that he would have enjoyed reading the papers in this volume, and discussing them with the authors.”  

The festschrift’s title was inspired by two volumes Sidoravicius had initiated and edited for the Brazilian School of Probability in the 2000s.

Fernández remembered Sidoravicius as a dedicated and productive researcher, a kind and inspirational educator, and an active and competent organizer of the global math community. “The book is a tribute to the relevance of Vladas as a scientist and to his human qualities,” said Fernández. “His untimely departure leaves us with the immense challenge of living up to his legacy. We must keep alive his celebration of science as an adventure, and of scientific collaboration as a festive occasion in which ideas flow while we enjoy the simple happiness of sharing curiosity and thirst for understanding.”

The editors said they were grateful to all the contributors for making the time to participate during a particularly stressful time for most people. “Most of the review process took place during a period when everyone was affected by the pandemic of Covid-19, with extra time needed for online teaching activities, but our referees were extremely generous with their help.”

The mathematics faculty at NYU Shanghai were also integral to the preparation of the festschrift. “Our Institute for Mathematics at NYU Shanghai owes a lot to Vladas' energy and enthusiasm, to his capacity to bring colleagues from all over the world, which contributed enormously to creating a very strong research atmosphere,” said Professor Pierre Tarrès, the Area Head of Mathematics at NYU Shanghai. “In the memorial event we organized in Shanghai on October 22, 2019, a lot of his close friends and former colleagues gathered to remember him and discuss his contribution to mathematics. This Festschrift leaves a written tribute to his memory and friendship.”

The book can be accessed on NYU Library with NYU Net ID, or can be purchased on Springer.