Latsis Swiss Science Prize for mathematician Susanna Zimmermann
The Latsis Swiss Science Prize goes to mathematician Professor Susanna Zimmermann for her pioneering research on the symmetries of geometric spaces, which enabled her to resolve a question in algebraic geometry that had remained open since the 19th century.
22 September 2026
Susanna Zimmermann works at the University of Basel and conducts research in the field of algebraic geometry. In particular, she studies the symmetries of geometric spaces and their internal mathematical structure. Together with Jérémy Blanc and Stéphane Lamy, she achieved a significant breakthrough: regarding what are known as the Cremona groups, the researchers resolved a question that had remained open since the 19th century and demonstrated that these groups possess a rich internal structure.
Her research contributes to a better understanding of the fundamental properties of mathematical spaces and opens up new connections between various fields of mathematics. Susanna Zimmermann is now to receive the Latsis Swiss Science Prize, awarded to early-career researchers with an academic age of up to ten years and endowed with CHF 100,000.
A professor of mathematics and head of a research group at the University of Basel, Zimmermann earned her PhD at the University of Basel before conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Toulouse. In 2017, she became an associate professor at the University of Angers and, in 2022, a professor at the University of Paris-Saclay. In 2025, she joined the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Basel.
She has received numerous awards for her research, including the Bronze Medal from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) (2020), an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council (2022), and the ICBS Frontiers of Science Award in Mathematics, shared with Jérémy Blanc and Stéphane Lamy (2024).
Awards ceremony at the Federal Palace
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) selected the laureate on behalf of the Latsis Foundation. The Swiss Science Prizes award ceremony will take place at the Federal Palace on 5 November 2026 in the presence of President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and President of the Council of States Stefan Engler.
The Latsis Swiss Science Prize has been awarded annually since 1984 by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). It honors early-career researchers at Swiss universities with an academic age of up to ten years for outstanding contributions. The 2026 prize is awarded in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering.
