Aderemi Oluyomi Kuku NNOM OON (20 March 1941 – 13 February 2022) was a Nigerian mathematician and academic, known for his contributions to the fields of algebraic K-theory and non-commutative geometry.
His doctoral research focused on the Whitehead group of p-adic integral group-rings of finite p-groups.
He authored several books and articles, supervised graduate students, and fostered international collaborations.
[1] His father Busari Adeoye Kuku was a photographer, and mother Abusatu Oriaran Baruwa was a trader.
[3][2] Upon graduation, Kuku returned to Nigeria, where he was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Ife in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
[2] In 1968, Kuku transitioned to the University of Ibadan as a Lecturer II in Mathematics, succeeding Joshua Leslie.
He accepted an invitation from Hyman Bass to conduct research at Columbia University in New York City.
[4] This opportunity allowed him to spend the year 1970–71 at Columbia University, where he worked with Bass and submitted his thesis On the Whitehead group of p-adic integral group-rings of finite p-groups, earning his Ph.D. in 1971.
His research intersects algebra, number theory, and geometry, using K-theory and cyclic homology methodologies.
He formulated higher algebraic K-theory using representation theory, specifically Mackey functors.
This led to the development of equivariant higher algebraic K-theory and its relative generalisations in exact and Waldhausen categories.
These methods are used in the calculations of higher K-theory of virtually infinite cyclic groups within the Farrell–Jones conjecture's context.
[8] In collaboration with M. Mahdavi-Hezavehi, Kuku studied the algebraic structure of subgroups in the group of units of a non-commutative local ring.
His advanced texts, such as "Representation Theory and Higher Algebraic K-theory," serve as resources for researchers and graduate students.
[2] In 2011 during his 70th birthday, Kuku was honoured with an International Conference on Algebraic K-theory at Nanjing University in China.
[2] Kuku's legacy includes his academic work, his role as a mentor and educator, and his influence on the development of mathematical sciences in Africa and beyond.