Ernst Zermelo

Ernst Zermelo
Ernst Zermelo in the 1900s
Born	(1871-07-27)27 July 1871 Berlin, German Empire
Died	21 May 1953(1953-05-21) (aged 81) Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany
Nationality	Germany
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	University of Zürich
Alma mater	University of Berlin
Doctoral advisor	Lazarus Fuchs Hermann Schwarz
Doctoral students	Waldemar Alexandrow Pessach Hebroni Stefan Straszewicz
Known for	Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory Zermelo's navigation problem
Notable awards	Ackermann–Teubner Memorial Award (1916)

Ernst Friedrich Ferdinand Zermelo (German: [ʦɛrˈmeːlo]; 27 July 1871 – 21 May 1953) was a German logician and mathematician, whose work has major implications for the foundations of mathematics. He is known for his role in developing Zermelo–Fraenkel axiomatic set theory and his proof of the well-ordering theorem.

Ernst Zermelo graduated from Berlin's Luisenstädtisches Gymnasium (now Heinrich-Schliemann-Oberschule ()) in 1889. He then studied mathematics, physics and philosophy at the universities of Berlin, Halle and Freiburg. He finished his doctorate in 1894 at the University of Berlin, awarded for a dissertation on the calculus of variations (Untersuchungen zur Variationsrechnung). Zermelo remained at the University of Berlin, where he was appointed assistant to Planck, under whose guidance he began to study hydrodynamics. In 1897, Zermelo went to Göttingen, at that time the leading centre for mathematical research in the world, where he completed his habilitation thesis in 1899.

In 1910, Zermelo left Göttingen upon being appointed to the chair of mathematics at Zurich University, which he resigned in 1916. He was appointed to an honorary chair at Freiburg im Breisgau in 1926, which he resigned in 1935 because he disapproved of Adolf Hitler's regime. At the end of World War II and at his request, Zermelo was reinstated to his honorary position in Freiburg.