{"683744":{"#nid":"683744","#data":{"type":"news","title":"School of Mathematics Professor John Etnyre to Speak at ICM 2026","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Mathematics\u003C\/a\u003E Professor\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/etnyre.math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Etnyre\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been selected as a section lecturer for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.icm2026.org\/\u0022\u003E2026 International Congress of Mathematicians\u003C\/a\u003E (ICM 2026). Featuring world-leading mathematicians at the forefront of their fields, ICM 2026 will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July \u2014 coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and marking the first time in 40 years that the conference will be held in the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cSpeaking as a section lecturer at ICM is a rare distinction and prestigious honor,\u201d says School of Mathematics Chair and Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EMike Wolf\u003C\/strong\u003E. \u0022Fewer than two dozen researchers in the world are asked to speak on geometry and topology at this event, which happens just once every four years. We are thrilled, but not surprised, that John has been selected. His top-notch research and teaching are truly world class.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKnown for his expertise in the area, Etnyre will speak on the topic of Geometry.\u0026nbsp;\u201cI was surprised and excited to receive the invitation to speak,\u201d says Etnyre. \u201cIt is a great honor to represent my branch of mathematics and the School of Mathematics at ICM. The School of Mathematics has had several ICM speakers in the past, and I am very happy to continue that legacy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EH. Milton Stewart\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/katya-scheinberg\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKatya Scheinberg\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has also been selected as a section lecturer and will speak on Control Theory and Optimization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout John Etnyre\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EEtnyre is known for his expertise in topology, including knot theory, which is crucial to understanding three- and four-dimensional spaces, with applications ranging from string theory to DNA recombination and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/whats-shape-universe-mathematicians-use-topology-study-shape-world-and-everything-it\u0022\u003Eunderstanding the shape of the universe\u003C\/a\u003E. He also studies contact and symplectic geometry and three- and four-dimensional manifolds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cA large part of my work over the years has been to demonstrate that special subspaces of contact and symplectic manifolds are the keys to unlocking their subtle nature,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis goes back, at least, to Bennequin in the early 1980s and then Eliashberg in the late 1980s and 1990s. My talk at ICM will survey this research, starting with Bennequin\u2019s work and ending with current trends in the field.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EEtnyre\u2019s previous distinctions include being in the Inaugural Class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society. He has also received a National Science Foundation CAREER grant award and was a Simons Fellow in Mathematics.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFeaturing world-leading mathematicians at the forefront of their fields, ICM 2026 will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July. Known for his expertise, Etnyre will speak on the topic of Geometry.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Known for his expertise in the area, Etnyre will speak on the topic of Geometry."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2025-08-12 18:09:19","changed_gmt":"2025-08-13 18:04:50","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677661":{"id":"677661","type":"image","title":"John Etnyre","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Etnyre\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1755022204","gmt_created":"2025-08-12 18:10:04","changed":"1755022204","gmt_changed":"2025-08-12 18:10:04","alt":"John Etnyre","file":{"fid":"261586","name":"John-Etnyre.hi-res.crop_-300x300.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/12\/John-Etnyre.hi-res.crop_-300x300.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/12\/John-Etnyre.hi-res.crop_-300x300.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":15260,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/08\/12\/John-Etnyre.hi-res.crop_-300x300.jpg?itok=Jss-7foI"}}},"media_ids":["677661"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"},{"id":"193733","name":"_for_math_site_manual_feed_"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by Selena Langner\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: jess.hunt@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}