Ukrainian Professor Becomes Second Woman to Receive Prestigious Fields Medal for Mathematics

Amanda Taheri
·2 min read
Ukrainian Professor Becomes Second Woman to Receive Prestigious Fields Medal for Mathematics

Maryna Viazovska, a Ukrainian mathematician, is now the second woman to receive one of the highest honors in mathematics, the Fields Medal, for her work in number theory and sphere-packing.

According to International Mathematical Union, the 37-year-old Kyiv native was awarded the prize on Tuesday with three other mathematicians, including Hugo Duminil-Copin, James Maynard, and June Huh.

Every four years, the International Congress of Mathematicians selects mathematicians under 40 for the prize. The medal fills an honorary void since a Nobel Prize for mathematics does not exist.

The award was established in 1936 and had only one other woman recipient, Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani.

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In her acceptance video, Viazovska spoke about the invasion by Russia that has left her home country in turmoil.

"Ukraine is my native country, and seeing how it's being destroyed, how many lives are lost … of course, it's all very difficult," she explained.

Ukraine's Maryna Viazovska presents her medal after receiving the 2022 Fields Prize for Mathematics during the International Congress of Mathematicians 2022 (ICM 2022) in Helsinki, Finland, on July 5, 2022. - The Fields medal, sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize in mathematics, recognises "outstanding mathematical achievement" by under-40s and is awarded once every four years.

VESA MOILANEN/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty

Viazovska said teaching math allowed her to "forget about this fear and pain" she felt about her home country being attacked.

"In February, my life changed forever," Viazovska said, referring to the start of the Russian invasion. At the time, her parents and sisters lived in Kyiv and relocated to Switzerland with Viazovska.

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Before the awards ceremony, Viazovska dedicated one of her lectures to a Ukrainian mathematician and computer scientist, Yulia Zdanovska, who was recently killed in a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

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Viazovska paid tribute to Zdanovska in her acceptance video.

"Yulia was a person filled with light... when someone like her dies, it's like the future dies," she said. "Right now, Ukrainians are giving the highest price for our beliefs and for our freedom."