Julian Sahasrabudhe: The ICM 2026

We are continuing our conversations with mathematician colleagues at the University of Cambridge, part of the podcast we produce for the Maths Faculty here. Today we meet Julian Sahasrabudhe, Professor of Mathematics, and one of the invited speakers at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in July this year.

The ICM is one of the biggest events in the mathematics world and is the host of several prizes, including the prestigious Fields Medal. Only mathematicians at the very forefront of research are invited to speak, so we were very excited to learn more about Julian's work.

We spoke to him about his path into mathematics, from his childhood dreams to his early career as a drummer, before he finally settled on maths. Julian also gave us a brief introduction to his work in the field of combinatorics and how it offers partnerships with other areas of maths.

The podcast mentions Maryna Viazovska, who won a Fields Medal in 2022. Julian discusses the link between Ramsey theory and her work on sphere packing, as in the image below.

silver balls stacked in a pyramid — An example of sphere packing. Image courtesy Greg A L, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Find out more about:

Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.

You can listen to the podcast using the player above, and you can listen and subscribe to our podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and through most other podcast providers via podbean.