Chinese mathematicians Wang Hong and Deng Yu were awarded the 2026 Fields Medal on July 23 at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia. This marks the first time Chinese nationals have received the honor, often called the Nobel Prize of mathematics,
with both scholars recognized in the same year. They were honored alongside American mathematician John Pardon and Canadian mathematician Jacob Tsimerman.
Historic Recognition at the International Congress of Mathematicians
The 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Philadelphia became the site of a historic milestone for the Chinese mathematics community. During the opening ceremony on July 23, Chinese researchers Wang Hong and Deng Yu were announced as recipients of the Fields Medal. The award, which is presented every four years to no more than four mathematicians under the age of 40, is widely considered the highest honor in the field. This year marks only the third time a woman has won the award in its 90-year history.
According to reporting from the South China Morning Post, this achievement marks the first time Chinese nationals have won the medal since it was established in 1936. While previous ethnic Chinese winners like Shing-Tung Yau in 1982 and Terence Tao in 2006 were recognized for their contributions, neither held Chinese citizenship at the time of their awards. With this win, China becomes the fifth country—after the United States, France, Britain, and Russia—to produce two Fields laureates in a single ceremony, and the first Asian nation to do so.
Wang Hong: Breakthroughs in Harmonic Analysis
Wang Hong, born in 1991 in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has been recognized for her significant contributions to harmonic analysis and geometric measure theory. Her work includes applications of multiscale and decoupling techniques to the local smoothing conjecture for the planar wave equation, as well as major advances in Fourier restriction, Falconer distance sets, Furstenberg sets in the plane, and the Kakeya problem in three dimensions.
Wang enrolled at Peking University at age 16, transferring to the mathematics program before earning her bachelor’s degree in 2011. She later obtained an engineering degree and a master’s degree in mathematics in France, followed by a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under Larry Guth. In February 2025, Wang and Joshua Zahl solved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a problem that had previously troubled the mathematical community for over a century. The International Mathematical Union (IMU) stated that her work had facilitated a wide array of theorems and conjectures across harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, geometric measure theory, and other related fields. Wang is currently a professor at New York University’s Courant Institute and, as of September 1, 2025, a permanent professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES) in France.
Deng Yu: Advancing Partial Differential Equations
Deng Yu, born in 1989 in Shenzhen, was honored for his work in partial differential equations. His research includes the rigorous derivation of the Boltzmann equation from hard-sphere dynamics for rarefied gases, the derivation of wave kinetic equations from nonlinear dispersive systems, and probabilistic approaches to nonlinear Schrodinger dynamics.
Deng enrolled at Peking University in 2007, later transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, followed by a PhD at Princeton University under Alexandru D. Ionescu. According to The Beijing News, Deng collaborated with Ma Xiao and Zaher Hani to solve the restricted Hilbert’s sixth problem, establishing a mathematical path from microscopic particle systems to macroscopic equations. The IMU described his work as a significant step forward in a centuries-long effort by mathematicians and physicists to derive the basic laws of physics from first principles. Currently a professor at the University of Chicago, Deng previously held positions at the University of Southern California and the Courant Institute.
Academic Paths and Global Impact
The dual win represents the first time two mathematicians who completed their undergraduate training in mainland China have shared the prize in the same year. Both Wang and Deng were admitted to Peking University in 2007. Their success has been celebrated by the International Mathematical Union, the institution responsible for organizing the awards.
Ulrike Tillmann, vice-president and incoming president of the International Mathematical Union, told NPR that all four mathematicians had made tremendous contributions to their respective fields. She added that it was wonderful to see another woman winning the Medal and expressed that it should be considered normal for women to contribute to their fields at the highest level, including the Fields Medal.
In a video released by the IMU, Wang recalled her early interest in the subject, noting that she felt quite happy when she figured out the answer and felt that she had a clearer understanding of the subject. Her victory alongside Deng concludes a decades-long wait for the Chinese mathematics community to see nationals from the country receive the top honor.
Sources: China.
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