Fields Medal 2026 Winners and Mathematical Research

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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**.