Peking University, July 23, 2026: The 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) opened in Philadelphia, U.S., on the morning of July 23 (local time). Peking University (PKU) alumni Wang Hong and Deng Yu were awarded the 2026 Fields Medal, one of the most prestigious honors in mathematics, marking a historic milestone for Peking University.

The award decision was officially announced by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), which presents the medal every four years to mathematicians under the age of 40, recognizing the influence of their existing work and their promise of future achievement. Wang and Deng are two of the four mathematicians honored.

The awards are historic on several levels. For the first time, two mathematicians who began their undergraduate studies in the Chinese mainland have received Fields Medals in the same year. Both Wang and Deng are alumni of Peking University, and both entered PKU in 2007, making this a particularly meaningful moment for PKU.

Wang's recognition also carries special significance. She becomes only the third woman in history to receive the Fields Medal, as well as the first Chinese woman and the first recipient with a bachelor's degree from a Chinese mainland university to be awarded the honor.

Fields Medal

Wang earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from PKU in 2011. She is best known for her work with Joshua Zahl resolving the three-dimensional Kakeya Conjecture. The longstanding problem, situated at the intersection of analysis and geometry, had challenged mathematicians for decades and has far-reaching connections across several areas of mathematics.

After graduating from PKU, Wang continued her studies in France and later completed her Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently a tenured professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES).



Deng entered PKU's School of Mathematical Sciences in 2007 before continuing his undergraduate studies at MIT. He later received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and is now a professor at the University of Chicago.



Working with Ma Xiao and Zaher Hani, Deng made a major breakthrough in Hilbert’s sixth problem. Their research established a rigorous mathematical pathway connecting microscopic particle dynamics with macroscopic kinetic and fluid equations, addressing a challenge first proposed by legendary mathematician David Hilbert more than a century ago. 



Wang and Deng followed different routes into mathematics, but their journeys began in the same PKU cohort. Their achievements highlight the growing international presence of PKU mathematicians.
 


Written by: Aishwarya Sapkota
Edited by: Chen Shizhuo