The Fields Medal is often considered the highest honour for a mathematician. In 2026, history is made in Canada as one of the recipients, Jacob Tsimerman from the University of Toronto, is the first professor based in a Canadian institution to win the award. As an U of T alumnus, it was certainly an exciting piece of news and a moment to be proud of. While the mathematics which awarded him the Medal is incomprehensible to me, I can certainly understand what he meant by the challenges of mathematical research and the mountains of failure that people do not see behind the successes. In his acceptance speech, he also emphasized the importance of collaboration. In fact, with the advent of AI, collaboration in mathematical research will not just be between humans (which will still be essential) but also between humans and AI.
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