Four Fields Medal laureates pose for photos onstage after receiving their Fields Medals during the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, July 23, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

Chinese mathematicians Deng Yu and Wang Hong were awarded the Fields Medals at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians, which opened in Philadelphia on Thursday, marking the first time Chinese nationals have won the prestigious honor.

At the opening ceremony of the congress, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the International Mathematical Union announced that Deng won the medal for his work in partial differential equations (PDEs), while Wang won the medal for her work in harmonic analysis and geometric measure theory.

Chinese mathematician Deng Yu walks onstage as he is awarded the 2026 Fields Medal during the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, July 23, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

Born in 1989 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Deng is currently a professor at the University of Chicago.

Together with his collaborators, Deng solved what is known as the narrow formulation of Hilbert's Sixth Problem, deriving a complete mathematically rigorous logical chain bridging microscopic particle systems to the macroscopic Boltzmann equation.

The problem was proposed by German mathematician David Hilbert in 1900 and remained unresolved for 125 years. At its core is the challenge of establishing a rigorous axiomatic foundation for the fundamental laws of physics.

"It's a great honor to have my name listed after all those great mathematicians I've been always admiring," Deng said at a press conference after the ceremony. "It's a really important recognition of myself, of my work with collaborators and the field of PDEs and also the probability that I'm representing."

"Roughly speaking, what I have been doing with collaborators is basically to connect the microscopic description of things, of the universe to the macroscopic description," he added.

2026 Fields Medalists applaud as Chinese mathematician Wang Hong walks onstage to receive a Fields Medals during the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, July 23, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

Born in 1991 in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Wang is currently a professor at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques in France and the Courant Institute at New York University.

Together with her collaborators, Wang solved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a problem that had challenged mathematicians for more than a century.

The conjecture can be visualized by imagining an "infinitely thin needle" rotating through every possible direction in space and asking how much volume is required to contain its path. Wang's work not only resolved a century-old mathematical problem, but also provided a new analytical framework that could have implications for fields such as radar, remote sensing and signal processing, where the interaction of wave packets is important.

"It means a lot to me and also to my other collaborators," Wang said. She recalled learning the news that Terence Tao got the Fields Medal when she was a high school student. "I was quite excited (then). So I'm also excited today."

Wang works in harmonic analysis and geometric measure theory. "A problem that lies in the two fields is the Kakeya conjecture ... I do feel like I'm combining the previous two fields' methods," she said.

The achievements of the two mathematicians have also drawn widespread praise from the international community.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Wang to congratulate her on winning the Fields Medal.

"I wanted to personally call to congratulate you on this wonderful news. It's truly remarkable," Macron said. "I believe this recognition, this Fields Medal awarded to you, is a testament to your achievements and research. It is an honor you truly deserve."

"Wang Hong and Deng Yu are both extremely outstanding scholars and their achievements are unquestionable," said Shing-Tung Yau, a renowned mathematician and the first Chinese-born Fields Medalist. He noted that although their paths differ, together they demonstrate the trend of interdisciplinary integration, which is increasingly becoming a key force driving mathematics forward.

"The two laureates completed the most important stages of their education in China. Their outstanding achievements are powerful evidence that China's position in the global mathematics community is becoming increasingly important," said Fields Medalist Efim Zelmanov.

Zhang Jiping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, described the awards as a historic breakthrough for Chinese mathematics. "This is the first time Chinese mathematicians have received the Fields Medal, the highest honor in the international mathematics community. It is a milestone in the history of mathematics in China," Zhang said.

Four Fields Medal laureates pose for photos onstage after receiving their Fields Medals during the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, July 23, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

There are altogether four Fields Medal laureates this year. The other two are John Pardon, a US mathematician at Stony Brook University, and Jacob Tsimerman, a Canadian mathematician at the University of Toronto.

The Fields Medal is a top international mathematics prize awarded every four years to two to four young researchers under the age of 40 in recognition of their outstanding mathematical achievements in existing work and their promise of future achievement.