At the "Olympics of Mathematics": POSTECH Math Sends 14 Students to ICM 2026

POSTECH Department of Mathematics sends 14 students to ICM 2026

This past July, 14 students from the POSTECH Department of Mathematics took part in the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2026), often called the "Olympics of mathematics." Held every four years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the ICM is the largest gathering in the field and the occasion at which the Fields Medal is awarded. This year's Congress ran from July 23 to 30 in Philadelphia, USA.

The Department has supported student participation at every ICM so that students can experience the currents of world mathematics firsthand. This year, 11 students selected through the Student Support Team's open call were joined by 3 more funded from the Department's own budget, for a total of 14. The program covered registration, airfare, and insurance — up to KRW 2.5 million per student — along with on-site accommodation for the official program.

Meeting the names from the papers, in person

Over the course of the week, students moved between lectures across many fields, taking in the "present tense" of world mathematics for themselves. Kim Dong-geon (integrated MS/PhD) said the moment he will not forget was getting an autograph from Fields Medalist Terence Tao. "A friend told me it was like meeting Messi in football, or Faker in League of Legends, and getting their signature," he laughed. Kim Yeon-kyung (integrated MS/PhD) reflected, "Realizing how many people in the world are truly immersed in mathematics — that sense of not being alone — gave me real strength."

From the audience to the podium

 

Prof. Jinwoo Jang, who led the delegation, said students who at first struggled to follow the lectures gradually learned, session by session, to grasp the big picture and the central questions on their own — and that watching this change was his greatest joy. "At the next ICM," he said, "I hope one of these students will be there not as a member of the audience, but as a speaker."