Maryam Mirzakhani: gifted mathematician and only female winner of Field Medal, the 'maths Nobel prize'

Mirzakhani’s research interests included Riemann surfaces and Teichmüller theory, both related to the geometric and dynamic complexities of curved surfaces EPA

Maryam Mirzakhani, who has died of breast cancer aged 40, was a gifted mathematician and the first woman ever to win the coveted Fields Medal, one of the highest awards in the subject. Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, spoke of the “unprecedented brilliance of this creative scientist and modest human being, who made Iran's name resonate in the world's scientific forums”. 

Mirzakhani was born in Tehran in 1977 and attended Farzanegan School, a girls-only establishment in the capital. Her abilities were recognised early when she won gold at the 1994 International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong, following up with another gold and a perfect score in 1995, in Canada.