Two Peking University Alumni Awarded Fields Medals
Peking University alumni Wang Hong and Deng Yu have been honored with Fields Medals at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia.
Two alumni from Peking University (PKU), Wang Hong and Deng Yu, have been awarded the prestigious Fields Medals at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) held in Philadelphia. This marks a significant achievement for the university in the field of mathematics.
The Fields Medal, awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) to mathematicians under 40, recognizes outstanding contributions and potential. Wang and Deng are among the four recipients this year. It is the first time two alumni from PKU's 2007 graduating class have received the award in the same year.
Wang is recognized as the third woman and the first Chinese national to receive the Fields Medal. Her work includes solving the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture. She is currently a professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES). Deng, who also graduated in 2007, has made breakthroughs in research related to Hilbert's sixth problem, establishing a mathematical connection between microscopic particle dynamics and macroscopic kinetic equations.
In addition to the medalists, 14 individuals associated with PKU, including 10 alumni and 4 faculty members, were invited to speak at the ICM 2026, highlighting the university's growing international presence in mathematics.