Emmy Noether
1882–1935, Erlangen, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States
Influential German mathematician in abstract algebra and mathematical physics; Noether's theorem connects continuous symmetries with conservation laws.
Born in Erlangen into a mathematical family, Noether initially trained to teach languages before turning to mathematics. She earned her doctorate in 1907 and worked for years in Erlangen without a paid formal post; she was invited to Göttingen in 1915.
In a 1918 paper she proved the theorem connecting each continuous symmetry of an action with a conservation law, a foundational result in theoretical physics. She also shaped modern abstract algebra through work on rings, modules, and noncommutative algebras. Forced to leave Germany in 1933 under Nazi anti-Jewish policies, she taught at Bryn Mawr until her death.
Workplaces: University of Göttingen, Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania
Germany