The Fields Medal awarded to Caucher Birkar in 2018 was stolen on the day of the ceremony, leading to the mathematician receiving a replacement medal at a later event. Born Fereydoun Derakhshani in 1978, he grew up on a subsistence farm in Marivan, Iran, before navigating a path that led him to the peak of international mathematics.
Early Education and Emigration
Raised during the Iran-Iraq War, Birkar learned foundational mathematics from his brothers. He completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Tehran. In 2000, he earned the third prize in the International Mathematics Competition for University Students. Shortly thereafter, he moved to the United Kingdom as a refugee. Upon his arrival, he adopted the name Caucher Birkar, which translates to migrant mathematician in Kurdish. He pursued doctoral studies at the University of Nottingham between 2001 and 2004, where he received the Cecil King Travel Scholarship in 2003.
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Birkar has focused his research on algebraic and birational geometry. Collaborating with Paolo Cascini, Christopher Hacon, and James McKernan, he proved several significant conjectures, including the existence of minimal models for varieties of log general type and the finite generation of log canonical rings. His work often builds upon studies by Vyacheslav Shokurov. Furthermore, he addressed the Iitaka conjecture concerning the effectivity of fibrations, co-solving the second half of the problem with Zhang. His recent research includes the boundedness of Fano varieties and developments in singularities of linear systems.
Academic Career and Recognition
Following his time at the University of Nottingham, Birkar held positions at the University of Cambridge. In 2021, he joined Tsinghua University as a tenured professor. His academic contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2010 Philip Leverhulme Prize, the 2016 AMS Moore Prize, and the 2018 Whitehead Prize. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2019 and is a member of the Academia Europaea. In 2025, he was elected as a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Fast facts
- Born: 1978, Marivan, Iran
- Citizenship: United Kingdom and Iran
- Field: Algebraic and birational geometry
- Fields Medal: 2018
- Royal Society Fellow: 2019
- Languages: English, Persian, Kurdish
Questions readers ask
What does the name Caucher Birkar signify?
It translates from Kurdish to mean migrant mathematician.
For which mathematical achievement did he receive the Fields Medal?
He was awarded the medal for his proof regarding the boundedness of Fano varieties and his contributions to the minimal model program.
Achievements
- Fields medal — 2018
- Philip Leverhulme Prize — 2010
- Moore prize — 2016
- Fellow of the Royal Society — 2019
- Whitehead Prize — 2018
- Held posts at University of Cambridge
- Fields: algebraic geometry and birational geometry
