News Archive

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the 2026 Abel Prize to Gerd Faltings, director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn and professor emeritus at the University of Bonn, "for introducing powerful tools in arithmetic geometry and solving long-standing diophantine conjectures by Mordell and Lang."

The prize will be presented by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon at a ceremony on May 26, 2026, in Oslo. It consists of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner, equivalent to €670,000, and is funded by the Norwegian government. Gerd Faltings is the first German mathematician to receive this highest honor in mathematics.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gérard Laumon. Laumon was a distinguished mathematician whose works have helped to shape modern arithmetic geometry.

Dennis Gaitsgory, director at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, will be a plenary speaker at the next International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), which will take place on July 23-30, 2026 in Philadelphia. Valentin Blomer and Jessica Fintzen, both members of MPIM's scientific committee, are invited section speakers. In addition, the speakers include a number of former long term or recurring visitors and a former PhD student:

Emeritus director of institute passed away at age 87

Bonn, June 11, 2025. The Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn mourns the death of Professor Günter Harder, who passed away on Tuesday, June 10, at the age of 87. Günter Harder was a scientific member of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics since 1991 and director from 1995 to 2006. His work area was arithmetic geometry and number theory, and after his retirement he remained a very active emeritus director. Our institute has lost a wonderful person and a great mathematician who will be deeply missed!