Peking University Alumni Awarded Fields Medals
Peking University (PKU) alumni Wang Hong and Deng Yu have been awarded the prestigious Fields Medals at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM). They are the first two alumni from the same cohort to receive the award in the same year.
Two Peking University (PKU) alumni, Wang Hong and Deng Yu, have been awarded the 2026 Fields Medals at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) held in Philadelphia. This marks a significant achievement for the university, as the Fields Medal is considered one of the highest honors in mathematics.
The awards were announced by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), which presents the medal every four years to mathematicians under the age of 40. Wang and Deng are among the four recipients globally this year. Wang's recognition is particularly historic, making her the third woman ever to receive the Fields Medal and the first Chinese woman to do so.
Wang is recognized for her work, alongside Joshua Zahl, in resolving the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a problem that had challenged mathematicians for decades. She currently holds a professorship at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES).
Deng achieved a significant breakthrough on Hilbert's sixth problem, collaborating with Ma Xiao and Zaher Hani. Their research established a rigorous mathematical pathway connecting microscopic particle dynamics with macroscopic kinetic and fluid equations.
In addition to the awards, PKU had a strong presence at the ICM with 14 scholars, including 10 alumni and 4 faculty members, invited to speak. This highlights the university's growing international impact in mathematical research.