The 35-year-old wore a black Alexander McQueen blazer, a Cartier necklace and a rose-gold Cartier ring while receiving one of mathematics’ most prestigious honors. By the next day, the necklace had sold out, according to The Standard.
Social media users circulated photos of Wang’s outfits, praising her polished style and saying her appearance challenged their traditional image of mathematicians.
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Chinese mathematician Hong Wang. Photo from Facebook/Tianweiatwork |
Her fashion choices also drew criticism. Some questioned whether an academic should wear luxury brands, arguing that scholars are generally expected to maintain a modest and understated image.
Others pushed back, saying Wang should be judged by her academic accomplishments rather than by the clothes or jewelry she wears.
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Clash de Cartier necklace. Photo from Cartier |
She became the third woman ever to receive the Fields Medal, widely regarded as the highest honor in mathematics, and the first Chinese citizen to win the award.
Born in rural Guangxi in southern China, Wang skipped two grades before entering Peking University at just 16. Although she wanted to study mathematics, the university accepted only one mathematics student from her province that year, so she enrolled in earth sciences instead.
Mainland Chinese media 36Kr reported that Wang spent her first year auditing advanced courses in algebra, geometry and analysis before successfully transferring to the mathematics department.
After earning her bachelor’s degree, she completed a master’s degree at École Polytechnique in France before receiving her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In February 2025, Wang and a collaborator published a 127-page proof of the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a problem that had challenged mathematicians for more than a century. The breakthrough earned her the 2026 Fields Medal, awarded every four years to outstanding mathematicians under the age of 40.
Today, Wang is a permanent professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France and also teaches at New York University.
Outside mathematics, Wang enjoys watching anime, playing table tennis and fencing.
Asked by mainland Chinese media how she felt after receiving the Fields Medal, Wang offered a simple response.
“I’m honored,” she said. “I hope everyone will have the courage to do what they love.”
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