Two Chinese mathematicians have been awarded the Fields Medal, widely regarded as the “Nobel Prize of mathematics”, marking a historic milestone for the country’s mathematical community.
Wang Hong and Deng Yu shared this year’s award with American mathematician John Pardon and Canadian mathematician Jacob Tsimerman at the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia on Thursday.
The achievement marks the first time China has produced Fields Medal winners and the first time that two mathematicians who began their undergraduate studies at Peking University have received the honor in the same year.
Presented every four years by the International Mathematical Union, the Fields Medal recognizes mathematicians under the age of 40 for outstanding contributions to mathematics and is regarded as one of the discipline’s highest honors.
Established in 1936, the prize is awarded to no more than four recipients each time.
Wang and Deng entered Peking University in 2007, where they laid the foundation for their mathematical careers before continuing their studies overseas.
Both mathematicians developed their passion for research at an early stage of their academic careers.
Wang transferred from Peking University’s School of Earth and Space Sciences to its School of Mathematical Sciences after discovering her fascination with pure mathematics.
Deng, a gold medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad before entering university, quickly distinguished himself for his talent before continuing his studies abroad.
Wang later earned degrees in France and completed her doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is now a Silver Professor at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and a permanent professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES) in France.
Deng transferred to MIT after studying at Peking University, obtained his doctorate from Princeton University and is now a professor at the University of Chicago.
Their awards recognize breakthroughs on some of mathematics’ most challenging long-standing problems.
Wang was honored for her pioneering work in harmonic analysis and geometric measure theory, including a proof of the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a century-old problem regarded as a cornerstone of modern harmonic analysis.
NYU President Linda G. Mills praised Wang’s achievement, saying the award confirmed what colleagues and students at the university had long recognized — that she is “one of the most remarkable minds in mathematics today”.
Emmanuel Ullmo, director of the IHES, where Wang is a permanent professor, said Wang’s proof of the Kakeya conjecture “reshapes the landscape of an entire field of research”.
Deng was recognized for fundamental advances in partial differential equations, including key progress toward Hilbert’s sixth problem by establishing rigorous links between microscopic particle dynamics and macroscopic equations describing gases.
University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos congratulated Deng on receiving what he described as “the highest recognition for the rigor and significance of his contributions to mathematics”.
He said Deng had “solved a problem that puzzled generations of scholars” and was “a true exemplar of what dedication to knowledge creation can achieve”.
The double triumph reflects the growing strength of China’s mathematical education and research.
Tian Gang, a renowned mathematician at Peking University, said in an earlier interview with the Chinese science publication The Intellectual that both Wang’s and Deng’s work had reached the standard for a Fields Medal and had been highly regarded by mathematicians in China and abroad.
This year’s Fields Medal also carries another notable China connection. Fellow laureate John Pardon, one of the world’s leading young geometers and topologists, is widely known among Chinese academics for his exceptional command of the Chinese language.
While studying at Princeton University, Pardon immersed himself in Chinese language and culture, winning the regional championship of the Chinese Bridge competition in the United States and helping Princeton claim the title at an international Chinese-language debating tournament.
Chinese scholars who have met him say he speaks fluent Mandarin and is comfortable discussing advanced mathematics in Chinese, making him a familiar figure at academic exchanges in China.
With Wang and Deng’s recognition, China has become the fifth country — after the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia — to produce two Fields Medalists at the same ceremony, and the first in Asia to achieve the distinction.