The Shaw Prize Committee recognizes Professor Fukaya as the originator and developer of the “Fukaya category”—a concept describing the profound relationship between geometry and algebra in symmetric spaces. This is a groundbreaking concept that opens new avenues of research in symmetric topology, mirror symmetry, and gauge theory. His work marked a turning point in modern mathematical thinking and had a profound influence on theoretical physics and algebraic geometry.
In an interview with the Institute of Mathematics (Taiwan, China), Professor Kenji Fukaya shared that he began to take mathematics seriously in his late high school years. Even though the Japanese curriculum already included calculus, he still sought out advanced materials such as Serge Lang's books on calculus and Frigyes Riesz and Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy's *Functional Analysis*, a field he particularly loved.
Born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1959, Professor Kenji Fukaya successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in Mathematics at the University of Tokyo in 1986, focusing on Riemannian manifolds. He taught at Kyoto University, delivering foundational work, before joining the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics (Stony Brook University, USA) in 2013. Since 2024, he has served as a professor at the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applied Sciences (BIMSA) and the Yau Center for Mathematical Sciences (YMSC), Tsinghua University, China.
He once shared: "Mathematics, in a sense, is freedom. In that world , we can create sequences of events – theorems – using our imagination and sense of beauty. There, personal beauty blends with logical verification – and that is what makes mathematics so fascinating."
According to SCMP , during his career, Fukaya has received many prestigious awards such as the 1989 Geometry Prize of the Mathematical Society of Japan, the Inoue Prize for Science (2002), the Japan Academy Prize (2003), the Asahi Prize (2009) and the Fujiwara Prize (2012). He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Japan.
International scientists highly appreciate his influence. Professor Mohammed Abouzaid (Stanford University, USA) commented: “Fukaya’s work has connected a field heavily reliant on geometric intuition with disciplines deeply structured in algebra, creating a completely new style of mathematics.”
Meanwhile, Professor Denis Auroux (Harvard University) affirmed: “Kenji Fukaya's thinking and vision have shaped the development of symmetrical geometry over the past three decades. His being awarded the Shaw Prize is a worthy recognition for a lifetime of dedication.”
The Shaw Prize, dubbed the "Nobel Prize of Asia," is awarded annually to honor scientists who have made groundbreaking contributions to humanity. Each award is worth US$1.2 million (over 31 billion VND) and is administered by the Shaw Prize Foundation (Hong Kong, China).
Professor Kenji Fukaya's honor this year is not only an international recognition of his exceptional intellect and outstanding contributions, but also affirms Asia's increasingly important position on the world map of mathematics.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/giao-su-toan-66-tuoi-doat-giai-thuong-tri-gia-1-2-trieu-usd-2455810.html
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