For the first time, a Chinese woman has been honored with the world’s most prestigious mathematics prize, the Fields Medal. This event increases the count of Chinese-born medalists to three, with two from China winning the medals this year.

Fields Medals, frequently compared to the Nobel Prize of mathematics, are awarded every four years to a select two to four mathematicians under 40. It acknowledges both their accomplishments and potential. This year’s awards mark only the third instance in its 90-year history where a woman has claimed the prized award.

The medals were presented at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia on Thursday. The recipients included Hong Wang and Yu Deng from China, John Pardon from America, and Canada’s Jacob Tsimerman.

“All four mathematicians have made tremendous contributions to their respective fields. It’s also wonderful to see another woman winning the Medal. We should feel that it has become a normal thing that women contribute to their fields at the highest level, including the Fields Medal,” said Ulrike Tillmann, vice-president and incoming president of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the organizer of the awards.

Record for Chinese Scholars

Hong Wang hails from Guilin City and becomes the first Chinese woman ever to receive this award. In an IMU video, she recollects solving her first math problem as a child, expressing pleasure upon figuring out the solution. Wang works with NYU and France’s Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques.

Her international reputation soared after solving the century-old Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions, alongside Joshua Zahl from the University of British Columbia.

“Solving this problem has opened the door for a host of theorems and conjectures in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, geometric measure theory, and other fields,” stated the IMU.

This achievement, together with Yu Deng’s, marks the first time two Chinese scholars have won the medal simultaneously. Yau Shing-Tung was the first ethnic Chinese winner in 1982, while Terence Tao won in 2006.

Deng, originally from Shenzhen, received acclaim for his research on axiomatizing physics. His work creates mathematical frameworks applicable in diverse scientific branches. His main paper was co-authored by Michigan University’s Zaher Hani and Xiao Ma.

The IMU recognized Deng’s work as a significant advancement toward deriving foundational physics laws from fundamental principles.

Achievements of Other Awardees

American John Pardon was distinguished by the IMU for his contributions in topology and geometry. Meanwhile, Canada’s Jacob Tsimerman was praised for broadening the reach of logical frameworks from abstract mathematics into algebraic geometry.

Joyful Reception and Reflection on Chinese Internet

This year’s winners were prematurely revealed due to a vulnerability in the International Congress of Mathematicians website, leading to excitement among Chinese netizens.

Celebrations abounded on Chinese social media platforms. A user from Guangdong expressed joy at two Chinese mathematicians being recognized. Another from Henan lauded the honor brought to the country.

Despite beginning their education at Beijing’s prestigious Peking University, Wang and Deng continued their research abroad. Deng transferred to MIT, finishing a PhD at Princeton University. Wang pursued post-graduate studies in France and completed her PhD at MIT.

Their positions outside China fuel discussions among Chinese internet users about the research capabilities of Chinese institutions compared to those in the United States.

Some Chinese scholars have returned home amid reports of a challenging academic climate in America. Beijing initiated the “K-visa” in 2025 to attract foreign tech professionals. Meanwhile, QiMing aims to recruit foreign and overseas Chinese STEM talent.

Additional Honors and Prize Details

The IMU also announced other significant awards, including the Chern Medal to Oxford University’s Graeme Segal and the Abacus Medal to the University of Washington’s Shayan Oveis Gharan.

Fields Medalists receive a gold medal adorned with Archimedes and a cash prize of 15,000 Canadian dollars (about 11,000 USD). However, Deng emphasized genuine curiosity as his motivator, beyond fame or cash rewards.

“Our understanding of the physical universe on the mathematical level is still extremely small. The happiness when your plan works perfectly and you solve the questions you face keeps me in this field,” Deng remarked in an IMU video.