Iranian Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani Passes Away

Maryam Mirzakhani, the Iranian mathematician, passed away on Saturday, July 15, at the age of 40 due to breast cancer. Roya Beheshti, a mathematician and close friend of Mirzakhani, wrote on her Facebook page: "Our dear Maryam left us tonight (U.S. time). She lived beautifully and was an inspiration to many. May her soul rest in peace." Firouz Naderi, an Iranian scientist at NASA, also tweeted: "A light went out tonight... it was too soon, my heart is broken." Naderi shared a photo of Mirzakhani and added: "A genius? Yes. But also a daughter, a mother, and a wife." The ISNA news agency reported that Amir Daneshgar, the head of the mathematics department at Sharif University of Technology, confirmed Mirzakhani's passing. The head of the mathematics department stated: "In a call with one of the professors at Stanford University, unfortunately, they confirmed this sad news to the Iranian scientific community with condolences." Mirzakhani was a recipient of numerous awards in mathematics, including the "Satter Prize" from the American Mathematical Society in 2013 and the Fields Medal in 2014. She worked as a professor at Stanford University since September 2008 and had previously been a professor at Princeton University. Mirzakhani was the first woman to win the Fields Medal. She had also won gold medals in the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1994 and 1995. During her time in Iran, she attended Farzanegan High School in Tehran. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Sharif University of Technology in 1999 and later earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago.