| John Hempel | |
| Birth Date: | 14 October 1935 |
| Birth Place: | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Death Place: | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Fields: | Mathematics |
| Workplaces: | Rice University |
| Alma Mater: | University of Utah University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Thesis Title: | A surface in S3 is tame if it can be deformed into each complementary domain |
| Thesis Url: | https://doi.org/10.2307/1994244 |
| Thesis Year: | 1962 |
| Doctoral Advisor: | R. H. Bing |
| Spouse: | Edith Hempel |
John Paul Hempel (October 14, 1935 - January 13, 2022[1]) was an American mathematician specialising in geometric topology, in particular the topology of 3-manifolds and associated algebraic problems, mainly in group theory.[2]
Hempel was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1957 he graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in mathematics. In 1962, he defended his thesis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under the supervision of R. H. Bing. He was a professor at Rice University until the time of his death.
He was married to Edith, whom he married on September 1, 1965, in Houston, Texas. He had 1 son and 3 grandchildren.
Outside of mathematics, Hempel was a nature enthusiast. As a child he was adventurous, and taught himself to mountain bike. He was also fascinated by camping, climbing, skiing and boating. In addition, he knew how to play the piano.[3] In 2013, Hempel was elected a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.[4]
Hempel showed that the fundamental groups of 2-manifolds are residually finite.[5] He also introduced the study of the curve complex into 3-manifold topology.[6]
Hempel wrote a book called 3-manifolds in 1976.[7] [8] [9] [10] His research was in topology.[11]