Yu Deng, the 2026 Fields Medal laureate, shared insights into his process of solving a century-old mathematical problem, highlighting the need to develop new tools due to a lack of existing reference materials.

Yu Deng, Hong Wang, John Pardon, and Jacob Tsimerman were awarded the Fields Medals, considered the highest honor in mathematics, with Hong Wang becoming only the third woman to receive the prize in nearly a century.

Dr. Deng, a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, received a Fields Medal for his work on an equation describing fluid mechanics.