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Hong Wang, Silver Professor of Mathematics at the Courant Institute of Mathematics, Computing and Data Science, New York University, has received the 2026 Fields Medal, the highest international honor in mathematics. The International Mathematical Union announced the award at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians held in Philadelphia.
Wang earned the recognition for her landmark work in harmonic analysis and geometric measure theory. Together with Joshua Zahl, she solved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a puzzle that had perplexed mathematicians worldwide for more than a century. The conjecture addresses a fundamental geometric question: what is the minimum size of a set in three-dimensional Euclidean space that contains a unit-length line segment pointing in every possible direction. Her research also settled the Furstenberg set problem, another core question exploring how geometric structure restricts the dimension of sets. The analytical frameworks she developed have opened new directions for research across analysis, geometry, number theory and computer science.
“Moments like this never belong to just one person. They are the culmination of years of chance encounters and unexpected questions that steer you in the right direction. I have been so lucky to work alongside brilliant colleagues at every stage of my career, and this honor is theirs as much as it is mine. I am so grateful to the IMU for this award and so excited for what is to come,” Wang remarked.
The Fields Medal is presented once every four years to outstanding mathematicians under the age of 40, with a maximum of four laureates per cycle. Wang becomes only the third woman in history to win the prize. The other 2026 recipients include Yu Deng, formerly an instructor at the Courant Institute and currently professor at the University of Chicago, American mathematician John Pardon and Canadian mathematician Jacob Tsimerman.
NYU President Linda G. Mills offered her congratulations. “NYU is so proud of Professor Wang’s achievement. The world is recognizing what her NYU colleagues and students have known for years: she is one of the most remarkable minds in mathematics today. Resolving this century-old conjecture has opened new avenues of thought and inquiry that will be felt for decades to come.”
Gigi Dopico, NYU Provost, commented, “Professor Wang’s ground-breaking work is a testament to both her mathematical acuity and her remarkable determination. She is a model for today’s mathematicians and for those who dream of careers in STEM fields.”
Gerard Ben Arous, Dean of the Courant Institute, highlighted the significance of Wang’s breakthrough. “Hong Wang’s resolution of the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture cracked a problem that had resisted some of the most famous mathematicians for over a century. Her related work on the Furstenberg set problem settled another central question about how geometric structure constrains size. These problems sit at the crossroads of analysis and geometry, and the tools she developed have the potential to reshape a whole world of connected problems.”
Wang also holds a permanent professorship at France’s Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES). IHES Director Emmanuel Ullmo noted, “What the international mathematical community has confirmed since then has exceeded all our expectations. The Kakeya conjecture is the kind of result that reshapes the landscape of an entire field of research. Hong Wang is one of the most important mathematicians of her generation.”
Wang completed her undergraduate studies at Peking University. She obtained master’s degrees from Université Paris Sud and École Polytechnique, and earned her doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She previously served as an assistant professor at UCLA and joined New York University in 2023. Earlier in 2026, she received the New Horizons in Mathematics Prize from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.
She is the first faculty member in New York University’s history to receive a Fields Medal. The Courant Institute boasts a distinguished legacy in mathematics; four former faculty members have been awarded the Abel Prize. Her achievement coincides with NYU’s ongoing science and technology strategic initiative, which includes investment in advanced computing infrastructure, large-scale faculty recruitment and the development of the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science.
纽约大学柯朗数学、计算与数据科学学院银席数学教授王虹斩获 2026 年菲尔兹奖，这是国际数学界highest 荣誉。国际数学联盟于美国费城举办的 2026 国际数学家大会上正式公布该获奖结果。
王虹凭借在调和分析与几何测度论领域具有里程碑意义的研究获此表彰。她与约书亚・扎尔合作，解决困扰全球数学界逾百年的三维挂谷猜想。该猜想探讨一项基础几何问题：在三维欧氏空间中，能够容纳朝向任意方向的单位长度线段的集合，其最小规模可以达到何种程度。除此之外，她还攻克弗斯滕伯格集问题，这项核心课题研究几何结构如何约束集合维度。她搭建的分析框架，为分析学、几何学、数论以及计算机科学开辟了多条全新研究路径。
王虹表示：“这样的时刻从来不属于单独一个人。多年来无数不期而遇的交流、意想不到的问题指引我不断前行，最终才有当下的成果。在学术道路的各个阶段，我有幸与众多brilliant 同行共事，这份荣誉同样属于他们。由衷感谢国际数学联盟授予我这一奖项，我十分期待未来持续开展研究。”
菲尔兹奖每四年评选一次，授予 40 周岁以下杰出数学家，单届获奖人数上限为四人。王虹是该奖项历史上第三位女性获奖者。2026 年其他获奖者包括曾任职于柯朗研究所、现任芝加哥大学教授的邓煜，美国数学家约翰・帕登，加拿大数学家雅各布・齐默尔曼。
纽约大学校长琳达・米尔斯送上祝贺：“纽约大学为王虹教授的成就感到自豪。全世界如今见证了她的实力，而她在纽约大学的同事与学生早已深知，她是当代极具影响力的数学研究者。这项延续百年的猜想得到解决，催生全新的研究思路，影响将持续数十年。”
纽约大学教务长吉吉・多皮科评价：“王虹教授开创性的研究，印证了她出众的数学洞察力与坚韧的科研毅力。她为当代数学家，以及有志投身理工科领域的青年树立了榜样。”
柯朗研究所所长杰拉德・本・阿鲁阐述了这项成果的价值：“三维挂谷猜想曾令众多famous 数学家束手无策，王虹教授最终完成证明。她围绕弗斯滕伯格集问题开展的配套研究，同样解答了几何结构约束集合规模的核心难题。这些课题处于分析学与几何学的交叉地带，她创造的研究工具，有望推动一系列关联问题取得突破。”
王虹同时担任法国高等科学研究所终身教授。该所所长埃马纽埃尔・乌尔莫评价：“国际数学界给出的认可超出所有人预期。挂谷猜想的解决足以重塑整个研究领域的格局。王虹是她所处世代中最重要的数学家之一。”
王虹本科就读于北京大学，先后取得巴黎南大学、巴黎综合理工学院硕士学位，博士毕业于麻省理工学院。她曾担任加州大学洛杉矶分校助理教授，并于 2023 年入职纽约大学。2026 年早些时候，她斩获突破奖基金会颁发的数学新视野奖。
王虹也是纽约大学建校以来first 获得菲尔兹奖的在职教员。柯朗研究所拥有深厚的数学研究积淀，先后有四名前教员获得阿贝尔奖。她取得这项成就之际，纽约大学正推进科学技术发展战略布局，涵盖高性能计算平台建设、大规模引进全球advanced 学者、建设柯朗数学、计算与数据科学学院等多项规划。
