Prime Time: Fields Medalist James Maynard

James Maynard, a research professor at the University of Oxford, is the 2025 recipient of the Carrier Medal at the University of Notre Dame, an award given in recognition of sustained, outstanding achievements in the sciences. Maynard's primary area of interest within mathematics is in a field called number theory. At its most basic, number theory is the study of whole numbers and the relationships between them. It explores patterns, like how prime numbers are distributed, or how numbers can be divided evenly. Let’s go back to fourth or fifth grade: Prime numbers are those greater than 1 that cannot be divided by any whole number other than itself and 1. They are fundamental objects in mathematics, and though they’re introduced to young children, they are also completely mysterious. Full understanding of prime numbers has resisted the efforts of mathematicians studying them for thousands of years. In March, Maynard shared the significance of understanding prime numbers, as well as the history of the field, during the inaugural public talk of the Pittsburgh Mathematical Horizons Lecture Series, sponsored by the Benter Foundation at the University of Pittsburgh. “Why care about primes?” he asked, dressed in a white oxford and khaki pants — a variation of what the mathematics community jokes is his usual “uniform”: a white button-down oxford and jeans. “This may seem like some weird, geeky thing to study.” #numbertheory #primenumbers #jamesmaynard #fieldsmedal #FieldsMedalist #Mathematics #mathgenius #mathinspiration #mathlovers #stemeducation