Two Israeli Mathematicians Among Eight Laureates of the 2026 Wolf Prize
Eight scientists including two Israelis have been named laureates of the prestigious 2026 Wolf Prize. Mathematicians Prof. Joseph Bernstein and Prof. David Kazhdan received the honor for their work.
Eight scientists, including two Israelis, were announced this Thursday as the laureates of the 2026 Wolf Prize. The winners in physics, chemistry, medicine, and mathematics were revealed at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, in the presence of President Isaac Herzog and the acting chair of the Wolf Foundation council, Prof. Osnat Luxenburg.
The two Israeli laureates are mathematicians Prof. Joseph Bernstein from Tel Aviv University and Prof. David Kazhdan from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They were awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics for their groundbreaking work in representation theory, automorphic forms, and algebraic geometry.
According to the prize committee, the work of Kazhdan and Bernstein has fundamentally transformed how mathematicians understand the connections between algebra, geometry, and analysis. The mathematical tools and concepts they developed have become foundational pillars in modern research.
The Wolf Prize is awarded annually in Israel to scientists and artists from around the world for achievements in their fields. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious international science awards, often viewed as a predictor for the Nobel Prize.
