Professor Hannah Fry wins Leelavati Prize
23 July 2026
Congratulations to Hannah Fry, Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics (DAMTP), who has been awarded the Leelavati Prize at the International Congress of Mathematicians for outstanding contributions to increasing the public awareness of mathematics.
"Hannah Fry is one of the foremost global ambassadors for mathematical thinking," the prize citation says. "She has become a voice for mathematics that resonates far beyond the public audience normally interested in science communication. Through a wide range of media — including books, videos, and television programs — she has used outstanding creativity and originality to translate mathematics into a language of wonder and relevance for the public without diminishing its scope and importance."
Professor Dhruv Ranganathan wins Whitehead Prize
17 July 2026
Congratulations to Dhruv Ranganathan, Professor of Algebraic Geometry in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (DPMMS), who has won a 2026 Whitehead Prize.
The prestigious Whitehead Prizes are awarded annually by the London Mathematical Society for outstanding work by mathematicians who are in an early stage of their career. The award recognises Dhruv Ranganathan's groundbreaking work in logarithmic algebraic geometry, highlighting both his extraordinary research and his commitment to mentorship of young researchers.
Professor David Abrahams awarded CBE
14 June 2026
Congratulations to Professor David Abrahams (DAMTP), who has been awarded a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list, announced in June 2026, for services to the Mathematical Sciences.
Dame Mary Cartwright honoured with blue plaque
12 June 2026
A blue plaque honouring the eminent mathematician Dame Mary Cartwright FRS FRSE has been unveiled at her former Cambridge home. The blue plaques scheme, overseen by Historic England on behalf of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, celebrates historic individuals who made a significant impact within their fields and wider society.
Mary Cartwright was Mistress of Girton College from 1949 until 1968, the longest-serving head in the college's history. She was the first woman mathematician elected a fellow of the Royal Society and the first woman to serve as president of the London Mathematical Society.
Harding Prize for Trustworthy Communication winners: Tom Whipple and IN Hub
19 May 2026
The winners of the Harding Prizes for Trustworthy Communication 2025 have been announced as Tom Whipple, writing for The Times, and the IN Hub team at the University of Exeter. The annual prizes are awarded by the University of Cambridge Statistical Laboratory, in association with Sense about Science and the Science Media Centre, and celebrate those who tackle the communication of evidence well.
Tom Whipple’s article for The Times, which examines why the debate over Covid 19's origins continues, won the General Public Audience Award. IN hub, a tool developed by Rebecca Coniam-Gudka, Abby Russell and Charlotte Kelman at the University of Exeter, won the Specialist Audience Award.
Professor Dhruv Ranganathan awarded 2026 Pilkington Prize
24 April 2026
Professor Dhruv Ranganathan (DPMMS) has won a 2026 Pilkington Prize. The Prizes are awarded annually by the University of Cambridge to recognise outstanding contributions to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
The Pilkington Prize recognises Dhruv Ranganathan's outstanding work as the Director of the Faculty of Mathematics’ Summer Research in Mathematics (SRIM) and Cambridge Mathematics Placements (CMP) programmes. These represent a major new strand of our undergraduate degree opportunities, involving up to 90 students annually.
The SRIM programme gives participating students their first taste of research, their first time publicly presenting their work, and often their first experience working collaboratively. The CMP programme enables undergraduate students to have impact on real-world problems across a range of industries and other academic disciplines by importing their specific mathematical expertise.
Daniel Baumann appointed as Stephen W Hawking Professor of Cosmology
7 April 2026
The Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) has appointed Daniel Baumann as the Stephen W Hawking Professor of Cosmology. Baumann is the first person to hold this Chair, which has been established through the generous support of the Avery-Tsui Foundation. The new Chair honours the unique scientific legacy of the late Professor Stephen Hawking, who was a member of DAMTP for forty years.
Professor Nick Dorey, Head of DAMTP, says: "Daniel Baumann is a leading cosmologist whose work explores the consequences of fundamental theory for the early Universe. His appointment builds on DAMTP’s long and distinguished tradition of contributions to theoretical cosmology, and we are delighted to welcome him to the Department."
Miranda C. N. Cheng appointed as Professor of Data-Intensive Mathematical Physics
7 April 2026
The Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) has appointed Miranda C. N. Cheng as Professor of Data-Intensive Mathematical Physics. Cheng will be the first person to hold this newly created role.
Professor Nick Dorey, Head of DAMTP, says: "Miranda Cheng's work has uncovered remarkable connections between areas of pure mathematics, such as number theory and topology, and fundamental physics. Most recently, she has focused on applying machine learning methods to problems in mathematical physics and, conversely, on adapting ideas from physics to provide a theoretical framework for artificial intelligence. Her appointment builds new bridges between different research communities within DAMTP and is an exciting development for the Department".
Richard Montgomery and Julian Sahasrabudhe win 2026 Adams Prize
4 March 2026
The 2026 Adams Prize has been jointly awarded to Richard Montgomery (University of Warwick) and Julian Sahasrabudhe (University of Cambridge) for their achievements in the field of Discrete Mathematics. Richard Montgomery is recognised for his profound contributions to extremal combinatorics, and Julian Sahasrabudhe is recognised for his progress on many longstanding fundamental problems in combinatorics and its interfaces with other areas.
The Adams Prize is one of the University of Cambridge's oldest and most prestigious prizes. It is awarded jointly each year by the Faculty of Mathematics and St John’s College to UK-based researchers, under the age of 40, doing first class international research in the Mathematical Sciences.
University of Cambridge announces the launch of Cambridge x QRT Labs
19 February 2026
The University of Cambridge has announced the launch of Cambridge x QRT Labs, part of a major new philanthropic partnership supported by Qube Research & Technologies (QRT). The new joint initiative brings together researchers across Cambridge, Imperial College London and the University of Oxford to advance research in mathematics, AI and complex systems.
This long‑term initiative will support more than 70 early‑career researchers across the three universities, including PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, beginning in 2026. QRT’s generous gift establishes a collaborative framework designed to advance research at the frontiers of mathematics, statistics, computer science and engineering.