Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York, is the winner of the Abel Prize 2007 “for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and in particular for creating a unified theory of large deviations.” In 1990, Varadhan was guest lecturer at the ICTP Workshop on Composite Media and Homogenization Theory. He has also served on the Selection Committee for the Ramanujan Prize. The Abel Prize, awarded annually by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters for outstanding work in the field of mathematics, carries a cash award of NOK 6 million (about US$ 1 million).