Brian Conrey
Also known as John Brian Conrey
Brian Conrey is a mathematician who works on analytic number theory and the Riemann zeta function, and in 2026 he was one of two experts who examined Claude's paper on that subject. He is executive director of the American Institute of Mathematics, a role he took on in 1997. After a B.S. from Santa Clara University in 1976, he completed a PhD at the University of Michigan in 1980 under Hugh Lowell Montgomery. Working with Bui and Young, he proved in 2011 that more than 41 percent of the zeros of the Riemann zeta function lie on the critical line. In August 2026 Anthropic reported that an unreleased research version of Claude had raised a lower bound on the fraction of zeros that satisfy the Riemann hypothesis from 41.6% to 67.2%, and it thanked him and Dan Goldston.
Timeline
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1976–1980
Degrees from Santa Clara and Michigan
In 1976 he earns a B.S. from Santa Clara University, and in 1980 he completes a PhD at the University of Michigan under Hugh Lowell Montgomery.
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1997
The institute's founding executive director
Starting in 1997 he serves as the founding executive director of the American Institute of Mathematics.
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Since 2005
A part-time professorship at Bristol
The mathematics department at the University of Bristol takes him on as a part-time professor in 2005.
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2008
A Levi L. Conant Prize
The American Mathematical Society gives him the 2008 Levi L. Conant Prize for expository writing on the Riemann Hypothesis, an article published in March 2003.
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2011
Zeros on the critical line
Together with Bui and Young, he proves in 2011 that more than 41 percent of the zeros of the Riemann zeta function lie on the critical line.
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August 2026
A higher bound for zeta zeros
In August 2026 Anthropic reports that an unreleased research version of Claude has raised a lower bound on the fraction of zeros that satisfy the Riemann hypothesis from 41.6% to 67.2%.
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August 2026
Thanked for examining Claude's paper
Anthropic thanks Brian Conrey and Dan Goldston, two experts in this area, for examining Claude's paper in August 2026.
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As of October 2026
Executive director of AIM
He is an American mathematician and executive director of the American Institute of Mathematics, with research interests in analytic number theory and L-functions.
Sources and credits
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- Brian Conrey - Wikipedia
- 2008: Conant Prize | News and features | University of Bristol
- Conrey awarded Levi L. Conant prize
- [1002.4127] More than 41% of the zeros of the zeta function are on the critical line
- Learning more about Claude's mathematical capabilities
- Brian Conrey | American Inst. of Mathematics