School of Mathematics Professor John Etnyre has been selected as a section lecturer for the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2026). Featuring world-leading mathematicians at the forefront of their fields, ICM 2026 will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July — coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and marking the first time in 40 years that the conference will be held in the United States.
“Speaking as a section lecturer at ICM is a rare distinction and prestigious honor,” says School of Mathematics Chair and Professor Mike Wolf. "Fewer than two dozen researchers in the world are asked to speak on geometry and topology at this event, which happens just once every four years. We are thrilled, but not surprised, that John has been selected. His top-notch research and teaching are truly world class.”
Known for his expertise in the area, Etnyre will speak on the topic of Geometry. “I was surprised and excited to receive the invitation to speak,” says Etnyre. “It is a great honor to represent my branch of mathematics and the School of Mathematics at ICM. The School of Mathematics has had several ICM speakers in the past, and I am very happy to continue that legacy.”
H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Katya Scheinberg has also been selected as a section lecturer and will speak on Control Theory and Optimization.
About John Etnyre
Etnyre is known for his expertise in topology, including knot theory, which is crucial to understanding three- and four-dimensional spaces, with applications ranging from string theory to DNA recombination and understanding the shape of the universe. He also studies contact and symplectic geometry and three- and four-dimensional manifolds.
“A large part of my work over the years has been to demonstrate that special subspaces of contact and symplectic manifolds are the keys to unlocking their subtle nature,” he explains. “This goes back, at least, to Bennequin in the early 1980s and then Eliashberg in the late 1980s and 1990s. My talk at ICM will survey this research, starting with Bennequin’s work and ending with current trends in the field.”
Etnyre’s previous distinctions include being in the Inaugural Class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society. He has also received a National Science Foundation CAREER grant award and was a Simons Fellow in Mathematics.
Related Media
John Etnyre
