Abdon Atangana
The mathematician whose work bears his name
Born in 1985
Who are they?
A mathematician born in 1985 in Elig-Mfomo, in the Centre region. A specialist in applied mathematics, he teaches at the University of the Free State in South Africa.
What made them famous
He co-developed the Atangana–Baleanu fractional derivative, a mathematical tool bearing his name, and founded fractional calculus with non-local, non-singular kernels. His work is applied to groundwater and epidemic modelling.
Key facts
- The youngest African mathematician to appear on the Clarivate most-cited researchers list, in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
- Winner of the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Prize in 2020.
- Inaugural winner of the UNESCO–Al Fozan Prize in 2023, for promoting young scientists in STEM.