Organised by the Liu Bie Ju Centre for Mathematical Sciences (LBJ) under the College of Science (CSCI), the International Conference on Applied Mathematics 2026 (ICAM 2026) presented the prestigious 2026 William Benter Prize in Applied Mathematics.
ICAM 2026 gathered more than 160 leading mathematicians, data scientists and engineers from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and around the world to exchange advances in applied and computational mathematics. Reflecting CityUHK and CSCI’s commitment to interdisciplinary and impact-driven research, the conference highlighted cutting-edge developments in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data science, mathematical modelling and computational methods.
The highlight of the opening day was the award ceremony for the 2026 William Benter Prize in Applied Mathematics. On behalf of the Selection Committee, Professor Thanasis Fokas of the University of Cambridge presented the prize to Professor George Em Karniadakis, the Charles Pitts Robinson and John Palmer Barstow Professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University, USA. The laureate was introduced by Professor Yue Yu of Lehigh University.
Ranked first globally in Applied Mathematics in the “World’s Top 2% Scientists 2025”, published by Stanford University, Professor Karniadakis is a distinguished applied mathematician, renowned for his pioneering works, including the invention of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) and Deep Operator Networks (DeepONets), which revolutionised the use of deep learning for solving partial differential equations.
Following the prize presentation, Professor Karniadakis delivered a plenary talk, titled “Scientific Machine Learning: Quo Vadimus”, marking the commencement of the four-day conference.
CityUHK scholars also shared their recent research projects at the conference. Among them, Professor Shun Zhang, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, showcased his recent project, which aims to develop a smart computational tool to help scientists and engineers precisely calculate critical quantities from complex physics and engineering models. By refining mathematical algorithms with "built-in" error detectors, this tool significantly improves the speed and accuracy of simulations. The team plans to extend these advanced calculations to AI and deep neural networks, providing a new method for solving intricate, real-world scientific problems more efficiently.
By connecting leading researchers and fostering new collaborations, the conference reinforced LBJ’s leadership in advancing impactful research and translating mathematical innovation into real-world solutions, in line with Mr. Benter’s vision.
The William Benter Prize in Applied Mathematics was set up by the LBJ in honour of Mr. William Benter, the donor of the prize, for his dedication and generous support for the enhancement of the University’s strengths in mathematics. This biennial award, carrying a cash prize of US$100,000, recognises outstanding mathematical contributions that have had a direct and fundamental impact on applications in science, business, finance and engineering.