US EditionMathematician who reshaped number theory wins prestigious Abel prize
- On Thursday, March 19, 2026, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awarded the 2026 Abel Prize to German mathematician Gerd Faltings for his groundbreaking 1983 proof of the Mordell conjecture.
- Proposed by Louis Mordell in 1922, the conjecture suggested most algebraic equations possess only finite rational solutions. Faltings confirmed this hypothesis, reshaping arithmetic geometry.
- The Abel Prize, now in its 24th year, includes an award of 7.5 million Norwegian Kroner . Faltings previously received the 1986 Fields Medal, which colleagues called "one of the great moments in mathematics."
- Helge Holden, chair of the five-member Abel Committee, noted the selection was "tough to contest." The committee convened at the Institute for Advanced Study in New Jersey earlier this year.
- Faltings contributed significantly to p-adic Hodge theory and influenced British mathematician Andrew Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. He remains based at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Germany.
17 Articles
17 Articles
The award is unofficially regarded as the Nobel Prize in Mathematics. The native Gelsenkirchener receives it for pioneering achievements in the field of arithmetic geometry.
Gerd Faltings is the first German to receive the Abel Prize, the highest distinction in mathematics. His pioneering work in arithmetic geometry is honoured.
For the first time a German is awarded the Abel Prize - he is considered the highest award in the mathematics department. Professor Faltings from Bonn is honoured for his research on arithmetic geometry.
There is no Nobel Prize in Mathematics, but the prize, which is most comparable with it, goes to a German for the first time this year.
There is no Nobel Prize in Mathematics, but the prize, which is most comparable with it, goes to a German for the first time this year.
The Abel Prize goes to Gerd Faltings for his groundbreaking work in mathematics: the proof of the Mordell conjecture in number theory. From one day to the…
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