Fields Medal 2026 Winners and Mathematical Research

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Key takeaways

The Fields Medal 2026 was presented to Yu Deng, John Pardon, Jacob Tsimerman, and Hong Wang at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
Established in 1936 by John Charles Fields, the award is given every 4 years by the International Mathematical Union to scholars under 40 years of age.
Hong Wang became the 3rd woman in history to win the medal, while she and Yu Deng became the first Chinese nationals awarded since 1982.
Indian-origin mathematicians Manjul Bhargava in 2014 and Akshay Venkatesh in 2018 have previously won this award.

The International Mathematical Union (IMU) presented the prestigious Fields Medal 2026 at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
Four researchers named Yu Deng, John Pardon, Jacob Tsimerman, and Hong Wang received the top mathematics honor.

Many experts call this honor the Nobel Prize of Mathematics because it recognizes high research achievements and future promise.
The International Mathematical Union awards this medal once every four years to celebrate world-class mathematical work.
Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields founded the award in 1936 through a trust created at the University of Toronto.

Candidates must be younger than 40 years of age on January 1 of the award year to encourage early achievements.
The committee grants this honor once every four years to a small group of 2 to 4 mathematicians.
An anonymous panel chosen by the IMU Executive Committee selects winners from different branches of mathematics.
Funding comes from the J.C. Fields Trust at the University of Toronto with support from the Fields Institute.

Hong Wang became only the 3rd woman to win this award after Maryam Mirzakhani in 2014 and Maryna Viazovska in 2022.
Yu Deng and Hong Wang became the first Chinese nationals to win this medal since Shing-Tung Yau in 1982.
Yu Deng from the University of Chicago solved a major part of Hilbert's sixth problem connecting kinetic wave theory and particle physics.
John Pardon from Stony Brook University solved the MNOP conjecture in geometry by counting curves on Calabi-Yau 3-folds.
Hong Wang from NYU Courant Institute solved the long-standing 3D Kakeya conjecture along with Joshua Zahl.
Jacob Tsimerman from the University of Toronto applied o-minimality to algebraic geometry and proved Griffiths' conjecture.

Two Indian-origin mathematicians named Manjul Bhargava in 2014 and Akshay Venkatesh in 2018 have previously won this medal.
Strong progress in fundamental mathematics helps drive research in artificial intelligence, physics, and engineering.