Sir Vaughan Jones, Stevenson Distinguished Professor of Mathematics of Vanderbilt University and Professor Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley, passed away suddenly this week. 

Professor Sir Vaughan F. R. Jones was a New Zealand-born mathematician based in the USA, renowned worldwide for his remarkable work on von Neumann algebras and knot polynomials. In 1990 he was awarded a Fields medal for his discoveries in the mathematical study of knots, including an application to an invariant now known as the Jones polynomial. This led to the solution of a number of classical problems in knot theory, and to increased interest in low-dimensional topology.

Sir Vaughan Jones was to deliver a public lecture next year at the 8th European Congress in Mathematics.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and the wider mathematical community.

_{Photo: Vanderbilt News - Vanderbilt University}