During FoCM 2026, six prizes and distinctions will be awarded.
Two are handed out by the Society for the Foundations of Computational Mathematics, four are presented by our partner organizations.
The Stephen Smale Prize
The Society for the Foundations of Computational Mathematics created the “Stephen Smale Prize” in 2010 in order to recognize the work of young mathematicians in the areas at the heart of the society’s interests and to help to promote their integration among the leaders of the scientific community.
Stephen Smale organized the Society’s first meeting and was integral in its founding.
There will be a 10 minute ceremony before the awardee’s talk on July 14th to present him with the prize.
Laureate:
Kaibo Hu
Kaibo Hu is Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor, and Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford.
His research focuses on the intersection of discrete structures, geometry, and computation, aiming to develop rigorous mathematical foundations for structure-preserving numerical methods. By exploring the discrete counterparts of differential geometry, topology, and homological algebra, he seeks to build computational frameworks that are inherently compatible with the underlying physical and geometric structures of complex systems.
The Agnes Szanto Medal
The Agnes Szanto Medal was instituted in 2023 in memory of Szanto’s outstanding research in symbolic computation and her tireless commitment to the scientific community. The Medal recognizes and acknowledges the contributions of a mid-career scientist with excellent contributions to computational mathematics who has demonstrated continued service and leadership within the international scientific community.
There will be a 10-minute ceremony on July 13th, and the awardee will deliver the inaugural Agnes Szantó Address, entitled Found in Translation, at the City Hall Side Event on July 14th
Laureate:
Eva Miranda
Eva Miranda is Chair in Geometry and Topology at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), and has been distinguished with two consecutive ICREA Academia Awards, in 2016 and 2021.
She is a member of CRM and IMTECH, and serves as Director of the Laboratory of Geometry and Dynamical Systems. Miranda leads the research group GEOMVAP (Geometry of Varieties and Applications) and co-leads the Excellence Unit SYMCREA.
Her distinctions include the François Deruyts Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium, the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and a Chaire d’Excellence of the Fondation Sciences Mathématiques de Paris
EMS Distinguished Lecturer
An EMS Distinguished Speaker is a prestigious appointment, awarded by the European Mathematical Society to an internationally renowned researcher. They are asked to deliver a plenary lecture at a large regional or international European conference.
Laureate:
Volker Mehrmann
Volker Mehrmann is Full Professor for Numerical Mathematics at TU Berlin. His research interests are Applied and Numerical Linear Algebra, Analysis and Numerics of differential-algebraic Equations, Numerical solution of differential equations, Control theory, Matrix theory, and Industrial Mathematics.
He was President of the EMS from 2019 to 2022 and has received numerous awards, e.g. an ERC Advanced Grant and a Gauß Lecture of the German Mathematical Society.
The Vasil A. Popov Prize
The Vasil A. Popov Prize was established in memory of the late Professor Vasil A. Popov of Bulgaria in recognition of his outstanding contributions to mathematics. The Prize was created in 1995 and has been maintained solely by contributions from his colleagues, friends, and those who support the existence of such a prize. It recognizes distinguished research accomplishments in Approximation Theory and related areas of mathematics. Eligibility for the Prize is restricted to young mathematicians removed less than 6 years from their doctoral degree.
The winner will be revealed in a 5 minute ceremony on July 13th before the first morning talk.
The award will be presented by Karlheinz Gröchenig.
The Joseph F. Traub Information-Based Complexity Young Researcher Award
The award is given for significant contributions to information-based complexity by a young researcher who has not reached their 35th birthday by September 30th the year of the award. The award consists of $1000 and a plaque and is sponsored by Elsevier.
It will be presented in Period 1 in connection with the workshop on Information-Based Complexity.
Laureate:
Jonathan Siegel
Jonathan W. Siegel, Texas A&M University, Department of Mathematics, United States of America, is the winner of this annual award.
He works in approximation theory, numerical analysis, and the mathematical theory of neural networks.
His research is concerned with deriving quantitative approximation rates for neural networks, designing and analyzing numerical methods for solving PDEs, and studying fundamental measures of complexity in approximation theory, such as n-widths, sampling numbers, and entropy.
The Joseph F. Traub Prize for Achievement in Information-Based Complexity
This prize is awarded for outstanding achievement in information-based complexity published in any journal, number of journals, or monographs. The award consists of $3000 and a plaque and is sponsored by Elsevier.
See the latest Committee announcement and list of past recipients here.
It will be presented in Period 1 in connection with the workshop on Information-Based Complexity.
Laureate:
Simon Foucart
Simon Foucart is Professor of Mathematics at the Texas A&M University and Associate Director of its Institute of Data Science.
His current research activity is focused on
Mathematical Data Science (including Compressive Sensing) with a strong Approximation Theory influence.
Simon Foucart’s honors include being appointed Presidential Impact Fellow at Texas A&M University in 2019 and Heilbronn Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Isaac Newton Institute in 2024.