Two Chinese mathematicians win Fields Medal for first time

For the first time, two Chinese mathematicians, Hong Wang and Yu Deng, have won the prestigious Fields Medal. Wang is the first Chinese woman and only the third woman in history to receive the honor, often called the Nobel Prize of mathematics. The laureates, who both work at American universities, were recognized for solving century-old problems. The wins have sparked national pride in China but also fueled debate over the country's 'brain drain' of top scientific talent.

Fields Medal awards ceremony

• ▪The award, often called the "Nobel Prize of mathematics," includes a cash prize of 15,000 Canadian dollars
• ▪Four mathematicians won the Fields Medal in 2026: Hong Wang and Yu Deng of China, John Pardon of the US, and Jacob Tsimerman of Canada
• ▪The Fields Medal is awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union to outstanding mathematicians under the age of 40
• ▪The 2026 awards mark the first time two Chinese scholars have won the Fields Medal simultaneously

Wang Hong's achievement

• ▪Hong Wang is the first Chinese woman to win the Fields Medal
• ▪The Kakeya conjecture was posed by Japanese mathematician Soichi Kakeya in 1917
• ▪Hong Wang, who works at New York University and in France, was awarded for helping solve the Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions
• ▪At 35, Hong Wang is the third woman to win the award in its 90-year history

Yu Deng's research contributions

• ▪The International Mathematical Union described Yu Deng's work as "a leap forward" in deriving the basic laws of physics from first principles
• ▪Yu Deng, a 37-year-old professor at the University of Chicago, was honored for his work on a century-old problem related to Hilbert's Sixth Problem
• ▪Posed in 1900, Hilbert's Sixth Problem involves calculating the behavior of a whole system based on the movement of its individual particles

Chinese brain drain debate

• ▪Shing-Tung Yau, the first ethnic Chinese Fields medallist, said he hoped the two winners would return to China to teach
• ▪Chinese state media described Wang and Deng as the first Chinese nationals to win, distinguishing them from previous ethnic Chinese winners Shing-Tung Yau and Terence Tao
• ▪Both Hong Wang and Yu Deng began their higher education at Peking University in China before pursuing advanced degrees and careers in the US and Europe
• ▪The wins sparked debate on Chinese social media about why top scholars leave China for research careers abroad

China's talent recruitment efforts

• ▪China has been actively trying to reverse its "brain drain" of top academic talent to Western countries
• ▪In 2025, Beijing launched a special "K-visa" aimed at attracting foreign tech experts
• ▪A project called QiMing, run by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, seeks to recruit overseas Chinese and foreign STEM talent