On July 23, local time, the opening ceremony of the International Conference of Mathematicians announced the second 2026 Fields Medal winner — American mathematician John Padden. John Padden received the 2026 Fields Medal for his pioneering contributions in the field of symmetric geometry. Achievements include proposed new methods for virtual basic cycles, Fukutani categories on specific manifolds, and pure curve counting. At the same time, he also received awards for his contributions in other fields of geometry and topology, including research on group effects on three-dimensional manifolds and research on bond theory.

On July 23, local time, the opening ceremony of the International Conference of Mathematicians announced the second 2026 Fields Medal winner — American mathematician John Padden. John Padden received the 2026 Fields Medal for his pioneering contributions in the field of symmetric geometry. Achievements include proposed new methods for virtual basic cycles, Fukutani categories on specific manifolds, and pure curve counting. At the same time, he also received awards for his contributions in other fields of geometry and topology, including research on group effects on three-dimensional manifolds and research on bond theory.