Logic and C*-algebras:

Ilijas Farah is a Canadian-Serbian mathematician whose work has helped shape the modern interaction between logic and operator algebras. He is a Professor of Mathematics and Research Chair in Foundations of Operator Algebras at York University in Toronto, Canada. Born in Sremska Mitrovica, he studied at the University of Belgrade and received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1997. 

Ilijas Farah's research lies at the interface of logic, set theory and operator algebras and has been central to the development of logic and operator algebras as a vibrant, contemporary research area. He was an invited speaker at the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians, and his monograph "Combinatorial Set Theory of C*-algebras" offers a book-length treatment of this interaction. This conference celebrates the depth of his contributions and the lasting influence of his mathematics across several research communities.

Selected Distinctions:

• Faculty Excellence in Research Award, York University, 2017

• Dean’s award for outstanding research, York University, 2006 

• Governor General’s Gold Medal, University of Toronto, 1998.

• Canadian Association for Graduate Studies / University Microfilms International Distinguished Dissertation Award, 1998.

• Sacks Prize for the best doctorate in Mathematical Logic, 1997.