IISc Professor Mahesh Kakde Awarded 2026 Ramanujan Prize for Algebraic Number Theory

Key facts

• Professor Mahesh Kakde of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has been awarded the 2026 Ramanujan Prize for his contributions to algebraic number theory.
• The Ramanujan Prize is jointly administered by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and recognises outstanding young mathematicians from developing countries.
• The award recognises Kakde's work in noncommutative Iwasawa theory and his research on the Gross-Stark and Brumer-Stark conjectures, with implications for Hilbert's 12th problem.
• Kakde completed his PhD in pure mathematics at the University of Cambridge in 2008 and joined IISc Bengaluru as professor in 2019.
• He received the Infosys Prize in Mathematical Sciences in 2022 and was named among Asian Scientist 100 in 2023.
• The Ramanujan Prize, awarded annually since 2005 in honour of Srinivasa Ramanujan, is given to researchers under 45 years of age from developing countries and carries a $10,000 cash award.