Peking University Alumni Claim Historic Double Fields Medal Win

The International Mathematical Union recognized Wang and Deng as two of the four recipients this year, underscoring their influence on modern mathematics. Wang, a professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, made history as the third woman and the first Chinese woman to receive the award. Her career-defining work, conducted alongside Joshua Zahl, resolved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a problem that had resisted solution for decades.

Deng Yu, currently a professor at the University of Chicago, earned his recognition for breakthroughs regarding Hilbert's sixth problem. In collaboration with Ma Xiao and Zaher Hani, he established a rigorous bridge between microscopic particle dynamics and macroscopic kinetic equations. Beyond the medalists, Peking University maintained a dominant presence at the congress, with 10 alumni and 4 faculty members invited to deliver addresses. This collective performance reaffirms the institution's intensifying influence on the global mathematical landscape.