MIT alumni Yu Deng (class of 2011) and Hong Wang (PhD 2019) were awarded the Fields Medal at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), marking one of the highest honors for young mathematicians. The other two recipients were John Pardon and Jacob Tsimerman.
Yu Deng received the medal for his contributions to partial differential equations (PDE), notably for 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 Schrödinger dynamics. His first published paper in Analysis & PDE stemmed from summer research at MIT, inspired by Gigliola Staffilani. He is currently a professor at the University of Chicago.
Hong Wang was awarded for her work in harmonic analysis and geometric measure theory, including the application of multiscale and decoupling techniques to the local smoothing conjecture for the planar wave equation and significant advances like the solution of the Kakeya problem in three dimensions, in collaboration with Joshua Zahl. While at MIT, she served as a graduate mentor in the Summer Program in Undergraduate Research (SPUR) and, along with her mentee, received the Hartley Rogers Jr. SPUR Prize for the best student-mentor team. Currently, Wang is a Silver Professor of Mathematics at New York University and a professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in Paris, making her the third woman ever to win a Fields Medal.
Department head and RSA Professor of Mathematics Michel Goemans stated, "The achievements of Yu Deng and Hong Wang are truly monumental, and we are all elated that they were awarded Fields Medals. Their success is a testimony to the amazing mathematical talent we have at all levels at MIT, and the top-quality education, mentorship, and research opportunities we provide to both our large pool of math majors and our PhD students during their lifelong mathematical journey." He added, "MIT is a unique and exciting place to learn mathematics, and I am sure we have more future Fields medalists among our students and junior members of the department."
Blogger's Review: The achievements of Yu Deng and Hong Wang not only highlight individual brilliance but also reflect the robust mathematical education system at MIT. Their awards signify the rise of a new generation of mathematicians and inspire more young scholars to pursue excellence. The future of mathematics is filled with hope!