It honours Prof. He is the fifth Indian to receive this award. The 2026 Ramanujan Prize has been awarded to Mahesh Kakde, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), for his contribution to algebraic number theory. Kakde’s fundamental work on non-commutative Iwasawa theory and his outstanding research on the Gross-Stark and Brumer-Stark conjectures, with implications for Hilbert’s 12th problem — one of the 23 renowned and unsolved problems posed by David Hilbert in 1900.
A strong mathematical ecosystem can only be built with students’ enthusiasm for learning and engagement with mathematics. He gives an example of policies in Europe, where maternity leave or not treating childcare-related career breaks as career gaps can work as possible ways to address the gender imbalance in India, and he is optimistic about the impact.
The way students think can tremendously affect the ecosystem, he said. He is also deeply concerned about the under-representation of women in mathematics and describes it as a “universal problem”. “This will not solve the whole problem (of the gender gap), but at least it’s a step in the right direction,” Prof. Kakde said.
With a profound interest in number theory, he went on to do a Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics (CASM Part III) and further pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor John Coates. He considers IISc a fantastic place that provides a conducive environment, particularly with a reasonable administrative and teaching load, supportive colleagues, and ample time for research and research visits to different places. India has a rich history of mathematicians who have contributed to the field, spanning the period before and after Ramanujan. Prof. Kakde explains that after independence, mathematics education and research were mainly concentrated in fewer centres. Despite this, the number of institutes remains small for the size and population of India compared to Europe.
He joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in 2019, where he has worked ever since, mainly on classical and non-commutative Iwasawa theory and Stark’s conjectures. However, the past 25 years have seen an expansion in mathematics with the inception of several institutes such as IITs and IISERs.
He calls it a “chicken-and-egg problem”, further explaining, “In these places that you are building, until you train a lot of people, you won’t have enough people to hire, and without building those places, maybe you cannot train enough people.”
He previously taught mathematics at Princeton University and served as a reader at King’s College, London.
