VUB alumna and internationally renowned mathematician Ingrid Daubechies has received the ESI Medal 2026 from the Erwin Schrödinger Institute for Mathematics and Physics in Vienna. The distinction recognises her exceptional contribution to mathematics and the way it is applied today in image processing, artificial intelligence and data analysis.
Daubechies studied and worked at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel before becoming one of the most influential mathematicians in the world. The Erwin Schrödinger Institute praises her for her “fundamental and transformative contributions to mathematical information science”. In doing so, it refers not only to her pioneering work on wavelets, but also to her research into data processing, image analysis, deep learning and the restoration of works of art.
Wavelets are mathematical techniques that enable large quantities of information to be processed efficiently. Daubechies’ work helped lay the foundations for modern image compression and is used in applications ranging from digital photography and medical imaging to film and telecommunications. The so-called Daubechies wavelets later became an important component of the JPEG2000 standard for digital images.
The ESI Medal was established in 2020 and recognises researchers with exceptional achievements in mathematics, physics, or at the interface of both disciplines. Previous laureates include Fields Medal winner Martin Hairer and mathematical physicist Elliott Lieb.
Prizes continue to accumulate
Over the past decades, Daubechies has already received numerous international distinctions. In 2023, she was awarded the Wolf Prize in Mathematics. In early 2025, she received the National Medal of Science in the United States, officially the distinction for 2024.
In 2026, three more major scientific prizes are being added within a short period of time. In addition to the ESI Medal, Daubechies will receive the Leonardo da Vinci Award 2026 from the European Academy of Sciences, the highest distinction of that academy. The official ceremony will take place at the end of October during the academy’s annual symposium in Turin.
In addition, Daubechies will receive the 2026 World Laureates Foundation Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics. The award was announced in September in Shanghai. She is receiving the prize for her contributions to applied harmonic analysis, wavelet theory and image compression, and for her leadership within the international mathematical community. The prize was established in Shanghai in 2021.
The accumulation of distinctions is making for a particularly busy month of October. At the end of October, Daubechies will travel to China and spend a week in Shanghai as part of the World Laureates Foundation Prize. As a result, she will not be present in person at the presentation of the Leonardo da Vinci Award in Turin, but will give her presentation by video. According to Daubechies, the presentation of the ESI Medal, which was originally scheduled to take place in Vienna on 30 October, has for the same reason been postponed until spring 2027.
Daubechies was also the first female president of the International Mathematical Union. Despite her international career, she remains closely connected to the VUB. Among other things, she is committed to Wiskunnend Wiske, the VUB competition that seeks to encourage girls to take an interest in mathematics and the exact sciences.