PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Terence Tao

Terence Tao is a UCLA mathematician whose research and advisory work connect AI with mathematical discovery. He competed internationally by 11, earned a Princeton Ph.D. at 20, and joined UCLA in 1996; the university promoted him to full professor at 24. With Ben Green, he proved that the primes contain progressions of every finite length, and he became the first UCLA mathematics professor to receive the Fields Medal in 2006. He helped launch a Lean4 formalization of the Polynomial Freiman–Ruzsa proof, advised the AI for Math Fund at its 2024 launch, and serves on the AIMO Prize Advisory Committee.

Now at
University of California, Los Angeles and AIMO Prize Advisory Committee
Works
736
Citations
70,258
h-index
95

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.

Photo of Terence Tao

Timeline

  1. By 1996

    From contests to UCLA

    By 11, he was thriving in international mathematics competitions. At 20, he earned a Princeton Ph.D. and joined UCLA’s faculty in 1996.

  2. 2004

    Progressions among primes

    With Ben Green, he proved that the primes contain infinitely many arithmetic progressions of every finite length.

  3. By 2006

    A full professorship at 24

    UCLA promoted him to full professor at age 24, making him the youngest person ever to hold that rank there.

  4. 2006

    A Fields Medal

    He became the first mathematics professor in UCLA history to receive the Fields Medal.

  5. November 2023

    Formalizing a conjecture

    With Yael Dillies and Bhavik Mehta, he began a Lean4 project to formalize the Polynomial Freiman–Ruzsa proof.

  6. December 2024

    Advising a math fund

    At the AI for Math Fund’s launch, he served as an adviser and said new AI tools could enhance collaboration among mathematicians.

  7. October 2026

    Testing mathematical methods

    AI now lets mathematicians run “clinical trials” of mathematical techniques, a use that excites him.

  8. As of October 2026

    A chair and an AI prize

    At UCLA, he holds the James and Carol Collins Chair and directs special projects. He is on the AIMO Prize Advisory Committee alongside mathematicians and AI and machine-learning specialists.

Sources and credits

Photo: Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. The Tao of Tao newsroom.ucla.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Terence Tao, ‘Mozart of Math,’ is first UCLA math prof to win Fields Medal newsroom.ucla.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Formalizing the proof of PFR in Lean4 using Blueprint: a short tour terrytao.wordpress.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Renaissance Philanthropy and XTX Markets Launch New $9 million AI for Math Fund renaissancephilanthropy.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. AIMO Prize aimoprize.com. Checked 14 October 2026.