Quick Info
| Profession | Mathematician |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Date of Birth | 12/05/1977 |
| Age | 40 years (died on 14, Jul, 2017) |
| Birthplace | Tehran, Iran |
| Date of Death | 14/07/2017 |
Latest News about Maryam Mirzakhani
12/05/2025
The 12 May Initiative continued its annual celebration of Maryam Mirzakhani's birthday, promoting women in mathematics through global events and educational programs honoring her legacy as the first woman Fields Medalist.
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Bio/Wiki
| Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University, renowned for her work in hyperbolic geometry, dynamical systems, complex analysis, and topology[1]. | |
| She became the first woman and the first Iranian citizen to win the Fields Medal in 2014, often described as the Nobel Prize of mathematics[1][5]. | |
| Mirzakhani died from metastatic breast cancer on 14 July 2017 at Stanford Hospital at the age of 40[1][2]. |
Physical Stats & More
| Height | 157 cm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 50 kg |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Educational Qualification(s)
| PhD in Mathematics | Harvard University, 2004 |
|---|---|
| BSc in Mathematics | Sharif University of Technology, 2001 |
Personal Life
| Death Cause | Breast Cancer |
|---|---|
| Birth Place | Tehran, Iran |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Taurus |
| School | Farzanegan High School, Tehran, Iran |
| College | Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Religion | Islam |
| Address | 450 Serra Mall Bldg. 380 Stanford, CA |
Relationships & More
| Marital Status | Married |
|---|---|
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Not Known |
| Husband/Spouse | Jan Vondrák (Theoretical Computer Scientist, m.2005 - 2017) |
| Marriage Date | 24/03/2005 |
| Children | Anahita |
Family
| Father | Ahmad Mirzakhani |
|---|---|
| Siblings | 1 Sister, 2 Brothers |
| Spouse | Jan Vondrák (Theoretical Computer Scientist) |
| Children | Anahita |
Career
| Gold medal at International Mathematical Olympiad (1994) | |
| BSc in Mathematics from Sharif University of Technology (2001) | |
| PhD in Mathematics from Harvard University (2004) | |
| Joined Stanford University as Professor of Mathematics (2009) | |
| Fields Medal (2014) - First woman and first Iranian to receive this honor | |
| Simons Investigator (2013) | |
| Assistant Professor at Princeton University (2004–2008) | |
| Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize established in her legacy |
Favourites
| Favourite Mathematicians |
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|---|---|
| Favourite Book | Lust for Life by Irving Stone |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Maryam Mirzakhani does not smoke. | |
| 2. It is not known if Maryam Mirzakhani drinks alcohol. | |
| 3. After being inspired by biographies of famous individuals and literature, such as Marie Curie, Helen Keller, and "Lust for Life" about Vincent van Gogh, Maryam desired to become a writer. | |
| 4. She earned a gold medal in the 1994 International Mathematical Olympiad, becoming the first female Iranian student to do so. | |
| 5. In 2014, the International Mathematical Union recognized her for her contributions to the theory of Riemann Surface. In February 2017, she was awarded the Fields Medal, likened to the Nobel Prize of Mathematics, becoming the first woman to receive this honor. | |
| 6. Maryam Mirzakhani developed a formula to represent the volume of moduli space as a polynomial based on the number of boundary components. | |
| 7. Her research encompasses Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, ergodic theory, and symplectic geometry. | |
| 8. Currently, she is a Mathematics professor at Stanford University in California. | |
| 9. On July 15, 2017, Maryam Mirzakhani passed away after battling breast cancer for four years. | |
| 10. She earned gold medals in the 1994 and 1995 International Mathematical Olympiad, becoming the first female Iranian student to compete on the country's IMO team. | |
| 11. In 2014, she became the first woman and first Iranian to win the Fields Medal, the highest distinction in mathematics, considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize. | |
| 12. The International Mathematical Union recognized her for her outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces. | |
| 13. Her research encompassed Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, ergodic theory, and symplectic geometry. | |
| 14. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013; the disease spread to her liver and bones in 2016. | |
| 15. Her legacy continues through the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize and the 12 May Initiative, both dedicated to promoting women in mathematics. | |
| 16. She died at Stanford Hospital on 14 July 2017 after battling breast cancer for four years[2]. |