Deng, 37, is one of four mathematicians alongside John Pardon, Jacob Tsimerman, and Hong Wang to be awarded the Fields Medal, often regarded as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics," at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) on July 23.
He was recognized for a series of works that proved a central aspect of the sixth of the 23 problems proposed by German mathematician David Hilbert at the 1900 International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris. More than a century later, only about half of Hilbert's problems have been substantially solved, while the others remain partially resolved or open.
Born in Shenzhen, China, Deng won a gold medal at the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad, the world's most prestigious math contest for high school students. He studied at Peking University for two years before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, and later earned a PhD from Princeton University.
He is currently a professor at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on wave equations, nonlinear dispersive equations, fluid dynamics, harmonic analysis, probability theory for partial differential equations, and statistical physics.
Professor Yu Deng in a photo he provided.
