On October 1, 2015 at Oxford University, Landon T. Clay presented the first "Clay Award for the Dissemination of Mathematical Knowledge to Étienne Ghys, CNRS head of research at the ENS de Lyon's Unité de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées (UMPA).

Étienne Ghys is best known for his work in the promotion of mathematics in France and abroad, to audiences ranging from school children to experts. For the award ceremony, he gave a lecture on "Dancing Vortices".

The Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) is a privately funded foundation dedicated to increasing and disseminating mathematical knowledge.
Étienne Ghys' personal web page