John Pardon, professor in the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University) Simons Center for Geometry and Physics and Department of Mathematics, has been named one of four recipients of the 2026 Fields Medal by the International Mathematical Union (IMU).
The medals were awarded at the July 23 opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Fields Medal, often described as the Nobel Prize of mathematics due to its prestige, is awarded every four years to two to four mathematicians under the age of 40. The medal recognizes outstanding mathematical achievement in existing work and the promise of future achievement.
Pardon was recognized for his achievements in symplectic geometry, including new approaches to virtual fundamental cycles, Fukaya categories of certain manifolds and counting holomorphic curves, and for his contributions to other areas of geometry and topology, including group actions on 3-manifolds and knot theory.
From the Fields Medal citation: “John Pardon is a mathematician of extraordinary depth and originality, who has repeatedly had a significant impact on the fields of topology and symplectic geometry. He has both contributed to fundamental structure and solved problems that had stymied the community for decades.”
Pardon determined how to count curves on specific shapes in the field of symplectic geometry, proving the 20-year-old MNOP conjecture, which posited that two different ways of counting curves were in fact the same. Those specific shapes, called Calabi-Yau 3-folds, are thought to model our universe in superstring theory. Pardon’s work has implications for representation theory, symplectic topology and quantum physics.
“This is a shining and historic moment of academic excellence for the entire Stony Brook University community. We are thrilled to celebrate Professor John Pardon’s extraordinary achievement in receiving the prestigious Fields Medal for his transformative impact in symplectic geometry,” said Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith. “His breakthrough results in this rigorous and beautiful field have solved the most complex and important open problems in abstract geometry. John is a truly inspiring mathematician, mentor, and role model. We are so proud to have him as a distinguished member of our faculty. The brilliance, creativity, and impact of his research exemplifies Stony Brook’s mission to advance the frontiers of knowledge for the benefit of humanity. This milestone further solidifies Stony Brook’s position as one of the nation’s most prestigious public universities where we are accelerating our excellence and impact across education, research, healthcare and service while mentoring the next generation of leaders and innovators.”
“John Pardon’s Fields Medal embodies the very mission of the College of Arts and Sciences and Stony Brook University as a whole: to pursue bold ideas and create new knowledge of the physical world, and apply that new knowledge and understanding to benefit our society,” said David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His achievement reflects the spirit of innovation that defines Stony Brook and inspires our community to imagine — and build — a better future.”
Pardon is the third faculty member from Stony Brook University who has been awarded the Fields Medal. Previous recipients who have taught at Stony Brook include John Milnor, who was honored in 1962, and Sir Simon Donaldson, who was a recipient in 1986.
“Since arriving at Stony Brook in 2022, John Pardon has played a vital role in the Department of Mathematics and at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics,” said Scott Sutherland, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics. “This recognition of his achievements is extremely well-deserved, and honestly, not a surprise to those who know him. Congratulations to John for this important recognition!”
“SUNY is a national and global leader for public education research and academic excellence,” said State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. “We are proud to celebrate Professor John Pardon at the State University of New York at Stony Brook on earning the 2026 Fields Medal for his transformative contributions to mathematics and research. This well-deserved recognition reinforces that SUNY is on the move and advancing research for the public good.”
Each winner receives 15,000 Canadian dollars (approximately $10,600) and a gold medal bearing the visage of the Greek mathematician Archimedes. The medals and cash prizes are funded by a trust established by J.C.Fields at the University of Toronto. For 2026, the prize funds from the University of Toronto are supplemented by generous support from the Fields Institute.
The other 2026 Fields Medal recipients are Yu Deng of the University of Chicago, Jacob Tsimerman of the University of Toronto and Hong Wang of New York University and France’s Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES).
“The four medalists exemplify the depth, originality and vitality of contemporary mathematics, and we are delighted to celebrate their achievements at the International Congress of Mathematicians,” said Hiraku Nakajima, president of the IMU.
Pardon was one of three recipients last year of the New Horizons in Mathematics prize, which is part of the annual Breakthrough Prizes, popularly known as the “Oscars® of Science.” The award is given to early-career researchers who have already produced important work in their fields. Pardon was recognized for his research that has produced a number of important results in geometry and topology, particularly in the field of symplectic geometry and pseudo-holomorphic curves, which are certain types of smooth surfaces in manifolds.
Pardon joined the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics in 2022. He served as an assistant professor at Stanford University before moving to Princeton University as a professor in 2016. He received his PhD from Stanford and an AB in Mathematics from Princeton. He has also won the Clay Research Award and was elected to the 2018 class of fellows of the American Mathematical Society.
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