Maryam Mirzakhani

Hello, my name is Maryam Mirzakhani. My story begins in Tehran, Iran, where I was born on May 12th, 1977. When I was a little girl, I didn't dream of becoming a mathematician. Instead, I wanted to be a writer! I loved reading every book I could find and imagining myself creating exciting stories about amazing characters. To me, math was just a subject in school with lots of rules, and I didn't think it was very interesting. But one day, my older brother told me about a math problem he had learned, about how a famous mathematician named Gauss added all the numbers from 1 to 100 very quickly. The cleverness of the solution was like a spark, showing me for the first time that math could be beautiful and creative, just like a good story.

As I entered middle school at a special school for talented girls, my mind was still set on becoming a writer. A wonderful teacher, however, saw something in me and encouraged me to look at mathematics differently. She showed me that solving a difficult problem wasn't about memorizing formulas; it was about being a detective. You look for clues, you try different paths, and sometimes you get stuck, but the thrill of finally finding the solution is an incredible feeling. I realized that the world of math was a vast and beautiful landscape waiting to be explored. My friend and I started tackling challenging problems together, and soon, I was competing on the world stage. In 1994, I won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad, and I did it again in 1995, this time with a perfect score. It was an amazing honor to represent my country, and it proved to me that my new passion was the right path for me.

After finishing my studies at Sharif University of Technology in Iran in 1999, I knew I wanted to keep exploring the deepest questions in mathematics. That journey led me to the United States, where I began my graduate studies at Harvard University. It was an exciting and challenging time. I was surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the world, and my advisor was a brilliant mathematician named Curtis T. McMullen. At Harvard, I found the area of math that would become my life's work: the study of complex surfaces. Imagine the surface of a donut. Now, what if that donut had two or three holes? Or a hundred? I studied the geometry of these shapes, called Riemann surfaces, and the different ways they can be described. It’s like creating a map for a world of infinite, mind-bending shapes. After earning my Ph.D. in 2004, I continued my research and began teaching, eventually becoming a professor at Stanford University in 2008.

I never liked to rush when I was working on a problem. I called my method 'slow cooking.' I would let a problem simmer in my mind for months, or even years, thinking about it from different angles. To help me think, I would get huge sheets of paper and spread them all over the floor, doodling and drawing diagrams and formulas. My daughter, Anahita, would watch me and think I was an artist! For me, these drawings were my way of navigating the complex mathematical worlds I was exploring. Then, in the summer of 2014, I received the most incredible news. I was awarded the Fields Medal, which is sometimes called the 'Nobel Prize of Mathematics.' I was completely surprised and deeply honored. I was the first woman and the first person from Iran ever to receive it. My biggest hope was that my award would inspire young girls and boys everywhere, especially in Iran, to believe in themselves and to not be afraid to dream big.

While I was exploring the universe of mathematics, I also faced a great personal challenge with my health. I lived to be 40 years old. Though my time was shorter than I would have liked, I am so grateful for the life I lived, the family I loved, and the mathematics I was able to explore. The ideas I worked on are now being used by other mathematicians and physicists to understand everything from the shape of the universe to the world of quantum mechanics. I hope my story shows you that curiosity is a powerful guide. Don't be afraid of questions you can't answer right away. The beauty of discovery is in the journey, and there is a whole universe of ideas waiting for you to explore.