Massimiliano Berti, Full Professor of Mathematical Analysis at SISSA, has been invited to give a lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) 2026, which will take place in Philadelphia from 23 to 30 July at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The ICM is the most important international event in mathematics. Organized every four years by the International Mathematical Union, the Congress brings together researchers from across the world to present the most significant results in contemporary mathematical research and to outline future directions in the field. During the opening ceremony, some of the world’s highest mathematical distinctions are awarded, including the celebrated Fields Medals, the Abacus Medal, the Gauss Prize and the Chern Medal. To be invited as a speaker at the ICM is an exceptional scientific honour, widely regarded as entering the true “hall of fame” of mathematics.
Professor Berti will speak in the section devoted to Partial Differential Equations with a lecture entitled “Long time dynamics of space periodic water waves”. His talk will present the state of the art on the dynamics of water waves with space-periodic data, one of the most classical — and challenging — free-boundary problems in Analysis and Mathematical Physics. The lecture will discuss the construction of quasi-periodic solutions through a new KAM theory for quasi-linear PDEs; long-time existence and stability results obtained through the development of paradifferential Birkhoff normal forms; and the modulational instability of Stokes waves induced by wave perturbations of different periods.
“Being invited to ICM 2026 is a great honour and a profound joy,” says Massimiliano Berti. “It is a recognition of a long scientific path built through hard work, curiosity and freedom of thought, alongside the many wonderful colleagues with whom I have had the privilege to collaborate over the years. I am deeply grateful to those who believed in me from the very beginning and encouraged me to explore new directions, as the dear Antonio Ambrosetti, who first introduced me to research. Some of the results I will present address questions that have accompanied me for more than twenty years. This invitation is also a tribute to the strength of research at SISSA, an extraordinarily vibrant, stimulating and dynamic environment.”
The 2026 edition of the ICM will take place in a complex geopolitical context, marked by international tensions and concerns voiced by part of the scientific community regarding the ability to ensure a fully open and safe exchange of ideas.
“The ICM is not only an opportunity to present the most significant results in mathematics; it is also a moment when the international scientific community comes together, renewing its commitment to a shared purpose,” Berti adds. “I fully share the commitment to internationalism expressed by the Congress Organizing Committee through the words of Professor Jalal Shatah. Taking part in the ICM — calmly, peacefully and resolutely — means reaffirming that mathematics transcends political divisions, and potential exploitations, remaining united in its fundamental values. Universalism is an essential feature of what it means to be a mathematician and of the way our discipline grows. Today, more than ever, I believe that being there means contributing to this ideal, keeping alive a space for open and free dialogue, grounded in mutual respect and in the circulation of ideas among people and institutions of all nationalities, cultures and ethnicities.”
Massimiliano Berti is one of three mathematicians from Italian institutions invited as speakers at ICM 2026, alongside several Italian colleagues working abroad. This recognition bears witness to the global excellence of italian Mathematics and highlights to the exceptional quality and international visibility of research at SISSA.
Professor Berti’s lecture will take place on Sunday, 26 July 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. local time, within Section 10, Partial Differential Equations, in room 118-C of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.