2026 American Mathematical Society Awards Honor Past IAS Scholars
A number of scholars affiliated with the Institute's School of Mathematics have been honored as part of the 2026 American Mathematical Society (AMS) Awards. The awards recognize "individuals and programs for their contributions to the mathematical sciences and to the mathematics community."
Each of the three recipients of the 2026 AMS Frank Nelson Cole Prize for Number Theory is a former IAS scholar: Frank Calegari, von Neumann Fellow (2010–11); Vesselin Dimitrov, Member (2017–18, 2022–23); and Yunqing Tang, Member (2016–17). The authors were praised for their "groundbreaking article" titled "The unbounded denominators conjecture," which was published in the Journal of the American Mathematical Society in February 2025. According to the prize citation, the paper presents a "striking original proof," which resolves a conjecture that had stood since 1968.
Another trio of IAS scholars was named as the recipients of the 2026 Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research. Laszlo Erdős, AMIAS Member (2013–14); Benjamin Schlein, Member (2014); and frequent IAS scholar Horng-Tzer Yau were praised for a "series of three papers that have led to a full understanding of fine spectral properties for many other ensembles of random matrices, such as those derived from sparse random graphs and related objects." The techniques outlined in these papers, described by AMS as "very fruitful," have developed "a beautiful dynamical approach to the universality of the spectrum of random matrices at the local scale."
Tasho Kaletha, Veblen Research Instructor (2010–13) and von Neumann Fellow (2020); and Zhiwei Yun, Member (2009–10) and Visitor (2009), received the 2026 Chevalley Prize in Lie Theory, based on several recent publications. Kaletha was recognized for a book titled Bruhat-Tits Theory: A New Approach, co-authored with frequent IAS Member Gopal Prasad, in whose name a professorship, currently held by Nima Arkani-Hamed in the School of Natural Sciences, was endowed in 2022. According to the citation, the book "modernizes Bruhat-Tits theory [...] making it accessible for current and prospective researchers." Yun was cited "for his influential contributions to geometric representation theory and its applications to number theory."
Monica Vișan, Member (2006–08), was announced as the recipient of the inaugural Edmond and Nancy Tomastik Prize in Differential Equations for her "significant contributions to nonlinear dispersive and wave equations, particularly through the introduction, development, and applications of the method of commuting flows." Her work on "the long-time behavior of solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS), a key model in mathematical physics," was lauded by the AMS citation.
Glenn H. Stevens, Member (1985), received the 2026 Award for Impact on Teaching and Learning of Mathematics. Stevens, who is based at Boston University, conducts research on number theory, automorphic forms, and arithmetic geometry. He was cited for "his transformative contributions to math education at both pre-college and college levels," in particular his establishment of the Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS), a summer math program for high school students.
H. Blaine Lawson, Member (1972–73), was presented with the 2026 Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement for "his groundbreaking contributions to differential geometry, topology, and analysis." The citation continues: "Lawson’s fundamental research and expository monographs have been a boon to the mathematical community, launching new directions of research and illuminating large areas of mathematics." He was also praised for his mentorship, being described as "generous in sharing his knowledge and insights with students and colleagues at all levels."
Read more about the 2026 awards on the American Mathematical Society website.
