Stony Brook University Professor Josh Pardon wins Fields Medal mathematics prize

A Stony Brook University professor has been named one of four winners from around the world for his contributions to mathematics.

Professor Josh Pardon, 37, was awarded the Fields Medal for his work in various areas of geometry and topology, both of which explore properties of shapes, Stony Brook announced Thursday in a news release. The award, only given to mathematicians under the age of 40, is regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in the field.

Throughout his career, Pardon explored knot theory — the study of closed loops which has real-world applications in the field of genetics — and other complex questions in the realm of algebraic geometry, Scott Sutherland, Stony Brook’s mathematics chair, told Newsday. Pardon’s career breakthroughs, he said, “get increasingly harder to describe even to other mathematicians, much less to people that aren’t mathematicians.”

Pardon has advanced the fields of geometry and topology in ways that might not have immediate application, but could help future generations better understand properties within the universe, Sutherland said.

“A lot of these very abstract types of questions turn out to help us do things later that we didn't even know we could do,” he said. “A lot of mathematics that was worked out 200 years ago turned out to help us make computers, but 200 years ago, they weren't able to make computers. A lot of the math that was worked out long ago, which had no apparent application, enabled us to understand quantum mechanics.”

Every four years, the International Mathematical Union, a nonprofit that promotes global cooperation in the field, bestows the Fields Medal upon two to four recipients across math disciplines. Pardon’s fellow honorees include two Chinese mathematicians — Yu Deng of the University of Chicago and Hong Wang of New York University — as well as Canadian mathematician Jacob Tsimerman of the University of Toronto. Each winner receives a 14k gold medal bearing a profile of Greek mathematician Archimedes and a cash prize.

Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith called Pardon’s honor an “extraordinary achievement” earned for his “transformative impact in symplectic geometry”

“His breakthrough results in this rigorous and beautiful field have solved the most complex and important open problems in abstract geometry,” Goldsmith said. “John is a truly inspiring mathematician, mentor, and role model. We are so proud to have him as a distinguished member of our faculty.” 

Pardon earned his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University, where he was class valedictorian, according to Stony Brook. He then earned his doctorate from Stanford University. He went on to teach at both Princeton and Stanford.

His tenure at Stony Brook began in 2022. Pardon has since “played a vital role in the Department of Mathematics and at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics,” Sutherland said in a statement. He called Pardon’s honor “extremely well-deserved, and honestly, not a surprise to those who know him.” 

Pardon is the third Stony Brook professor in the university’s history to win the Fields Medal following professors John Milnor in 1962 and Sir Simon Donaldson in 1986, according to the university.

The Fields Medal is awarded to recognize outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement. The medals and cash prizes are funded by a trust established by J.C. Fields at the University of Toronto.