Henry Laufer Explained

Henry B. Laufer
Birth Date:13 August 1945
Alma Mater:Princeton University (PhD)
Occupation:Hedge fund manager, investor, mathematician, philanthropist
Vice President & Chief Scientist (Renaissance Technologies)
Spouse:Marsha Zlatin Laufer
Children:3
Module:
Child:yes
Thesis Year:1965
Thesis Title:Sheaf Cohomology and Envelopes of Holomorphy
Doctoral Advisor:Robert Clifford Gunning
Doctoral Students:Stephen Shing-Toung Yau

Henry B. Laufer (born 1945) is an American hedge fund manager, investor, mathematician, and philanthropist. He served as the Vice President of Research at Renaissance Technologies.

Early life

Henry B. Laufer was born to a Jewish family in 1945.[1] [2] [3] He received his PhD from Princeton University in 1965, studying with Robert Gunning.

Career

Laufer joined the mathematics department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook as a faculty member in 1971. His research focused on complex variables and algebraic topology. He left Stony Brook in 1992 to join Renaissance Technologies.[4] In 2015, a conference was held for his 70th anniversary at Tsinghua University in China.[1]

Laufer co-founded the Medallion Fund with Jim Simons in 1988.[5] Laufer served as chief scientist and vice president of research at Renaissance Technologies, its parent company.[6] He now serves on its board of directors.[6]

Laufer earned US$125,000,000 in 2008, during the financial crisis of 2007–2008.[7] The following year, in 2009, he was named one of "Wall Street's Highest Earners" by Forbes, with an income of US$390,000,000.[8]

Philanthropy and political contributions

Laufer and his wife enabled the foundation of the Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology at Stony Brook University with a donation in 2008.[9] [10] The couple joined Jim and Marilyn Simons to endow the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, with an unrestricted $70million gift in 2022. The school honored the donors by renaming the Institute to the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute.[11] [12]

Laufer donated US$500,000 to Correct the Record, a political action committee that supported Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, in February 2016.[13] Meanwhile, in April 2016, Laufer and his wife organized a US$500-ticket fundraiser for Clinton in Florida.[14] [15] The couple also gave around $950,000 to Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.[16]

Personal life

Laufer is married to Dr. Marsha Zlatin Laufer, a speech-language pathologist, philanthropist and political activist.[17] [18] She served as the chairwoman of the Democratic Party for the town of Brookhaven, New York from 2001 to 2009.[19] [20] The couple resides in Manalapan, Florida.[14] They have 3 children.

, Laufer's net worth was estimated at $2.6 billion by Forbes.[21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: International Conference on Singularity Theory -In Honor of Henry Laufer's 70th Birthday. Tsinghua Sanya International Mathematics Forum. Tsinghua University. August 31, 2016.
  2. Web site: Annual Report 2013. The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.
  3. Web site: JAFCO Annual Report 2014. Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options (JAFCO).
  4. Web site: Former Stony Brook University Faculty Members Drs. Henry and Marsha Laufer Announce $10 Million Gift To Capital Campaign . commcgi.cc.stonybrook.edu . 2010-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100606171303/http://commcgi.cc.stonybrook.edu/am2/publish/General_University_News_2/Husband_And_Wife_--_Former_Stony_Brook_University_Faculty_Members_--_Announce_10_Million_Gift_To_Capital_Campaign.shtml . 2010-06-06 . dead .
  5. News: Kouwe. Zachary. Hedge Firm Says Chief Will Retire. August 31, 2016. The New York Times. October 8, 2009. He opened Medallion in 1988 with Henry Laufer, a former Princeton mathematics professor who is still Renaissance’s chief researcher. Mr. Simons’s success has made him a billionaire several times over..
  6. Web site: Company Overview of Renaissance Technologies Corp.: Henry Laufer. Bloomberg. August 31, 2016.
  7. News: Story. Louise. Top Hedge Fund Managers Do Well in a Down Year. August 31, 2016. The New York Times. March 24, 2009. While Mr. Simons of Renaissance Technologies landed the No. 1 spot, one of his partners, Henry B. Laufer, is also on the list with earnings of $125 million..
  8. News: Schwartz. Peter J.. Wall Street's Highest Earners. August 31, 2016. Forbes. September 4, 2009.
  9. http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/happenings/?p=3337l happenings press release
  10. http://www.laufercenter.stonybrook.edu/ Laufer Center webpage
  11. Web site: Mathematical Sciences Research Institute receives $70 million gift . May 23, 2022 . . Philanthropy News Digest.
  12. Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Receives $70M Gift; Largest Unrestricted Endowed Gift to a U.S.-Based Mathematics Institute . May 19, 2022 . Business Wire.
  13. Web site: Correct the Record: Contributors, 2016 cycle. . August 31, 2016.
  14. News: Hillary Clinton attends fundraisers in South Florida. August 31, 2016. WPBF. April 12, 2016.
  15. News: Bennett. George. As Hillary Clinton raises money in Manalapan, Florida GOP video quotes Bernie Sanders. August 31, 2016. The Palm Beach Post. April 12, 2016.
  16. Tindera . Michela . February 17, 2021 . Here Are The Billionaires Who Donated To Joe Biden's 2020 Presidential Campaign . Forbes.
  17. Web site: Dr. Marsha Laufer: The Human Connection. College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. University of Maryland. August 31, 2016.
  18. News: Mayhew. Augustus. Palm Beach Real Estate Roulette. August 31, 2016. New York Social Diary. May 26, 2009.
  19. News: Toy. Vivian S.. A Novice Revives Brookhaven's Democrats. August 31, 2016. The New York Times. November 27, 2005.
  20. News: Brand. Rick. Laufer, Brookhaven Democratic chief, stepping down. August 31, 2016. Newsday. November 9, 2009. Marsha Laufer, who turned the Brookhaven Democratic Party from a perennial also-ran into a highly competitive force in the once Republican-dominated town, said last night that she is stepping down after seven years on the job..
  21. Web site: Henry Laufer . April 11, 2023 . Forbes.

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