Jacob Palis, professor and former director of the Instituto Nacional de Matematica Pura e Aplicada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was appointed chairperson of the Centre's Scientific Council last year. Palis, whose personal and professional ties to ICTP date back nearly a quarter century (see News from ICTP, Winter 1999, p. 13), recently sat down with ICTP's editor to discuss his long-time association with ICTP and his hopes for the Centre's future.

At the Centre with Palis

Jacob Palis

How did you first become involved with ICTP?
I first became involved through E. Christopher Zeeman, a mathematics professor who worked at Oxford and Cambridge universities in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and early 1960s and later was responsible for building the University of Warwick into a world-class mathematics centre. He was a close friend of Abdus Salam and, in the late 1970s, he mentioned to Salam that he would be interested in organising a series of workshops on dynamical systems at the Centre designed primarily for students from developing countries. Zeeman had a wonderful temperament and, like Salam, displayed great enthusiasm for science. In the mid-1960s, I had been a graduate student of Steven Smale at the University of California in Berkeley. Smale is a superb mathematician--a Fields Medallist, in fact. Zeeman came to Berkeley to visit for several months. He told us about his interest in launching an activity in dynamical systems at ICTP and asked me to share responsibility for it. It seemed like an opportunity that I could not possibly refuse. We held the first school in 1983, and then in 1984 established a triennial workshop in dynamical systems. Our timing could not have been better. The field of dynamical systems was emerging as a central one in mathematics with Henri Poincare as its founder, followed by other giants like Garrett Birkhoff. The emphasis on nonlinear and chaotic phenomena and the faint hints of applications to real-world problems meant that our studies might prove useful both to other fields of science--for example, physics and biology--and for modelling phenomena like climate and population growth. All of this generated great excitement among researchers and was able to attract some of the brightest minds around. In addition to Smale, there was Rene Thom, Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques in France, Solomon Lefschetz, Princeton University, and before them Andrei Kolmogorov, Moscow University, along with students like Vladimir Arnold and Yakov Sinai who went on to have illustrious careers. Young mathematicians in the developing world had a better chance of entering the field as equal players since the subject was taking new and exciting scientific turns. That's one of the reasons we could attract such large numbers of participants from Latin America and Asia (particularly China and Iran), and to a lesser extent Africa. All of the ingredients for stimulating research, particularly in developing countries, were present: the excitement generated by the freshness of the field, the presence of some of mathematics' most prominent thinkers, the cross-disciplinary nature of our research, and the high level of interest displayed by developing world scientists. We didn't know it at the time but we were riding the crest of an intellectual wave that was breaking over the entire field of mathematics. ICTP, thanks to its triennial (sometimes biennial) workshops, found itself in the middle of all this. As Salam often told me, 'you have to dream big'. We did and we have been more than happy with the results. I was fortunate to have Yakov Sinai co-direct the ICTP school/workshop on dynamical systems from the early 1990s, when Zeeman became honorary director. The meeting in 2004 was directed by fine younger mathematicians, Jean-Christophe Yoccoz (Fields Medallist, 1994) and Marcelo Viana, and Sinai and I became honorary directors.

What has been the long-term impact of this effort?
Our efforts certainly have had a great impact in Latin America where ICTP activities have led to the creation of a school in dynamical systems in Mexico and where the Centre has helped raise the level of both research and teaching in Chile and Venezuela. Even in my home country Brazil, where the study of dynamical systems has been a mainstay of research for a long time, ICTP symposia have been instrumental in moving us forward by providing Brazilian mathematicians with an important 'window on the world' for what is happening in the field. ICTP's dynamical systems workshops have also had a significant influence on research both in eastern and western Europe by providing a forum where the best minds can exchange information and findings. So it has not just been mathematicians from the South who have benefited from the Centre's activities but scientists from the North too. The workshops have been among the Centre's most successful events and, I hope, a symbol of how ICTP's activities can have a global reach in science and mathematics extending far beyond Trieste.

How has science changed in Brazil and other places over the last 25 years?
Brazil's scientific enterprise has experienced a great leap forward over the past several decades. Progress is due to two interrelated factors: First, the dedication and enthusiasm of a relatively small number of scientists and proponents of science, largely in government, who have made a convincing case for building a strong scientific enterprise; second, the availability of consistent funding from government at levels that are adequate enough to enable scientists to fulfill their responsibilities as both teachers and researchers. This may sound like an obvious formula for success, but all I can say is that if it is so obvious why has it been so rare, especially in developing countries. I believe that science in Brazil has now passed a threshold that will enable it to continue to move ahead regardless of changes in the nation's politics and economics. In fact, I am convinced that a political consensus has been reached among most Brazilians who now believe economic progress depends in some measure on the strength of the nation's scientific enterprise. I would say the same situation exists in Chile, China, India, Mexico, South Africa and several other developing nations, where, simply put, science has arrived and is not about to leave. And Argentina could again return to full strength since its basic education is still strong and its culture of science remains intact. ICTP has been a critical force in shaping the physics and mathematics community in each of these countries--not only by providing a model of scientific excellence but also by proving instrumental in building the skills of their scientists and mathematicians. Virtually all of Latin America's most eminent mathematicians and physicists have visited the Centre on many occasions. As Salam liked to say, ICTP has indeed been their "home away from home."

What do you hope to accomplish as chairperson of the Scientific Council?
I am very pleased to have been asked to head the Scientific Council. It is indeed a great honour and a challenge. I hope that I can be proactive during my tenure and that the members of the Scientific Council and the staff can be supportive of director K.R. Sreenivasan's efforts to reinvigorate the Centre's existing programmes while developing new activities to allow the Centre to advance great and noble goals: that is, to play a central role in substantially increasing the number of qualified scientists everywhere in this era of knowledge. For example, I believe that the time is right for the Centre to forge stronger relationships with ministries of science and technology in developing countries, particularly countries such as Brazil, China and India, that have built up strong capabilities in science. The purpose of our relationships should be to develop joint activities outside of Trieste that complement--in fact, extend the reach of--ICTP's efforts. For example, cosponsored conferences or workshops could take place in Rio de Janeiro, Beijing or Bangalore. The activities would be based on the ICTP model and would draw upon the Centre's expertise and experience. Nevertheless they would be hosted abroad. I know some of this already happens--the High Energy Group, for example, organises workshops outside of Trieste. However, I am talking about doing this on a more systematic basis, sharing responsibilities, both scientifically and financially, and making it a fundamental aspect of ICTP's yearly events. Such efforts, I believe, would expand both the visibility and influence of ICTP around the world. While we reach out to new partners, I think it is important for the Centre to enhance the quality of research taking place at the Centre. The Council could play a critical role in this effort by fostering new ideas and new directions while consolidating the strong research areas at the Centre, and by instilling a renewed sense of enthusiasm. The Council, with 10 new members, is comprised of an outstanding group of scientists. Indeed there are several Nobel Prize winners and a Fields Medallist among us. The prestige of the members alone should enhance the applicant pool for new positions. And the ideas that we bring to the table, I am convinced, will help the Centre take on new challenges in innovative ways.

Scientific Council 2004

You've been involved with ICTP for nearly 25 years. What do you envision ICTP will be like in 25 years?
My dream is for ICTP to be very visible in the world--not just among scientists but among policy makers and the public. The effort begins with the high quality of the scientists and staff who work for the Centre. They must not only do their jobs well but also bring a certain sensitivity and commitment to the Centre's unique mandate to serve the developing world. All of this requires both scientific excellence and a larger sense of purpose. Some scientists require seclusion to do their best work. There is nothing wrong with this. But ICTP's unique role in the world of science requires scientists to do their best research while interacting with others. Simply put, it is the broad visibility and presence of both the institution and the individual scientists who work here that define the true success of this great institution. In an era when knowledge is critical for economic development and social justice, both in individual nations and on a global scale, ICTP's goals remain as important and even more urgent today as they were 40 years ago.

Current ICTP Scientific Council members

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