German mathematician Gerd Faltings wins 'math’s Nobel' for solving decades-old problem

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced the award on Thursday, citing his role in shaping arithmetic geometry, a major field in modern mathematics.

"He’s a towering figure in number theory," The New York Times quoted Helge Holden, chairman of the prize committee, as saying. Number theory studies the properties and relationships of integers, forming a foundation for many areas of mathematics.

The Abel Prize, often regarded as mathematics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is in its 24th year and carries an award of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner (US$780,000). "It’s a nice sign of appreciation to get this prize," Faltings said.

German mathematician Gerd Faltings. Photo courtesy of University of Endinburgh

Faltings, 71, was recognized for his 1983 proof of the Mordell conjecture, which concerns Diophantine equations, or equations whose solutions must be rational numbers that can be expressed as fractions of integers.

The conjecture, first proposed in 1922 by U.S. mathematician Louis Mordell, states that such equations have only a finite number of solutions in most cases.

His work resolved a long-standing problem and introduced methods that later became central to several major areas of mathematical research.

Faltings previously received the Fields Medal in 1986 for the same breakthrough, a prominent award given every four years to mathematicians under 40 for outstanding early-career achievements.

Reflecting on his approach, Faltings said he did not aim for recognition. "My idea has been, I shouldn’t look at what may make me famous and rich, but I try to find things which I like," he said. "Because if you work on things which you like, it’s more fun."