Richard Palais

Richard Palais
Richard Palais (right) and Chuu-Lian Terng (left) at Oberwolfach, 2010
Born (1931-05-22) May 22, 1931
Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMay 13, 2026(2026-05-13) (aged 94)
Irvine, California, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University (BA, MA, PhD)
Known forMostow–Palais theorem
Lie–Palais theorem
Morse–Palais lemma
Palais–Smale compactness condition
SpouseChuu-Lian Terng
AwardsSloan Research Fellowship (1965)
Lester R. Ford Award (2010)
Scientific career
InstitutionsBrandeis University
University of California, Irvine
ThesisA Global Formulation of the Lie Theory of Transformation Groups (1956)
Doctoral advisor
Andrew Gleason
George Mackey
Doctoral students
Edward Bierstone
Leslie Lamport
Jill P. Mesirov
Chuu-lian Terng
Karen Uhlenbeck

Richard Sheldon Palais (May 22, 1931 – May 13, 2026) was an American mathematician working in differential geometry.