Discovery, Research and Excellence: Stony Brook Celebrates Fields Medal Winner John Pardon

Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith and Professor John Pardon at the October 29 celebration honoring him after winning the Fields Medal earlier this year. Photos by John Griffin.

John Pardon, a professor in Stony Brook University's Simons Center for Geometry and Physics and Department of Mathematics, was honored by the university on October 29, celebrating his remarkable achievements in what was titled "A Tribute to Discovery, Research and Excellence in Mathematics."

Pardon was one of four recipients of the 2026 Fields Medal, given by the International Mathematical Union in July. The Fields Medal, often described as the Nobel Prize of mathematics due to its prestige, is awarded every four years to two to four mathematicians under the age of 40, honoring outstanding mathematical achievement in existing work and the promise of future achievement.

Pardon was recognized for his achievements in symplectic geometry, including new approaches to virtual fundamental cycles, Fukaya categories of certain manifolds and counting holomorphic curves, and for his contributions to other areas of geometry and topology, including group actions on 3-manifolds and knot theory.

The tribute, held at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, included a "Presentation of Scholarship" by fellow mathematicians Yakov Eliashberg, Herald L. and Caroline L. Ritch professor of mathematics at Stanford University; Mohammed Abouzaid, a professor of mathematics at Stanford University and a former visiting professor at the Simons Center; Nikita Nekharov, professor at the Simons Center and the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics at Stony Brook; and Ernesto Lupercio, professor at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Cinvestav, Mexico City.

A celebration in the Della Pietra Family Auditorium followed, led by Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith, who called Pardon's Fields Medal "a milestone for its mathematics community and broader university mission."

"Tonight we celebrate not only an extraordinary mathematician - among the best of his generation - who continues to advance his field at the highest level, but we also celebrate a defining milestone that elevates Stony Brook's global standing and inspires all of us," said Goldsmith.

The president also thanked Marilyn Simons and her late husband, Jim Simons, who founded and funded the Simons Center, for their vision, support and generosity to Stony Brook.

"During Jim's time chairing the mathematics department in the 1960s and early 1970s, he and Frank Yang developed a deep intellectual partnership," said Marilyn Simons, who thanked Pardon for being an inspiration to the next generation of young researchers at Stony Brook. "This partnership helped pioneer exploring connections, connections between modern geometry and theoretical physics, and they weren't only influential in their time, but they continue to shape the field of inquiry for decades to come. So today, nearly 20 years later, I think that we can all agree that Stony Brook, the Simons Center, and the extraordinary scholars who have made this their intellectual home are more than fulfilling their potential."

"Humanity has a great tradition of celebrating its best," said Ludmil Katzarkow, director of the Simons Center. "In ancient Greece, these were Olympic winners. In the 20th century and today, these are the Nobel Prize winners. Today, in the epoch of AI, we gather to celebrate John's great achievement."

Marilyn Simons, '74, PhD '84, co-founder and chair of the Simons Foundation, with John Pardon.

Pardon returned the recognition, citing support from the Simons Center as an important part of his own success.

"Mathematics is a collaborative enterprise, a community effort, and it's a great privilege of my life to be part of such a wonderful community and such wonderful colleagues," he said. "Any awards I get are secondary to the support I get from all of you. Thank you."

Goldsmith recognized Pardon's dedication to the Stony Brook community, calling his award a monumental honor.

"More than anything else, thank you for choosing Stony Brook University as your professional home and gracing all of us with your brilliance, your inspiration, your wisdom, and your profound impact on your field and on all of us," she added.

Simons offered a poignant tribute to her husband, imagining the pride he would feel at Pardon's accomplishment in the center bearing his name.

"I have a heartfelt wish that Jim were here to help us celebrate today," she said. "I imagine that he would be looking around at all that's been accomplished here, and that he would think this was indeed a very good investment. But more importantly, I imagine that he would be pondering the beautiful ideas that this world is so full of."

- Robert Emproto