Mathematics • 2026
Featured Speaker
Fields Medalist
‘Geometry and the Human’
T.T. Jagannathan Auditorium, IC&SR Building, IIT Madras
Tuesday, December 22, 2026, 4:30 p.m.
The Workshop
Participation in the workshop is through a selection process coordinated by Professor Sanoli Gun, The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, and Professor Mahesh Kakde, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
Public Lecture by Akshay Venkatesh
In the nineteenth century, the field of geometry was utterly transformed as mathematicians investigated many new conceptions of space. These ideas would later provide a framework for relativity and other fundamental theories of physics. But understanding the natural world around us was only one part of the impetus for the expansion of geometry. Equally important was understanding the human world: how we draw, how we see, and how we think. Professor Akshay Venkatesh will relate some of this story and reflect on what it tells us about the nature of mathematics.
Professor Akshay Venkatesh, a Fellow of the Royal Society and one of the world's most celebrated mathematicians, is the recipient of the 2018 Fields Medal. He will be the Featured Speaker for the Second Edition of the TNQ Distinguished Lectures in Mathematics. Born in New Delhi in 1981 and raised in Perth, Australia, Professor Venkatesh displayed extraordinary mathematical talent from a remarkably young age.
About the SpeakerDate
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Venue
T.T. Jagannathan Auditorium, IC&SR Building, IIT Madras
Time
4:30 p.m.
Proceedings
Introduction by Professor Mahesh Kakde,
Professor, Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
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The TNQ Distinguished Lectures in Mathematics are a series of talks by renowned mathematicians from the world. These were established in 2024 as Chennai-based lectures to honour Tamil Nadu’s Mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.
The lectures are open to all individuals who register through tnqdistinguishedlectures.org.
Seating will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The TNQ Distinguished Lecture in Mathematics will be held in Chennai.
There is no registration fee; attendance is completely free of charge.
Yes, participants will be provided with a Slido link on the day of the lecture, through which they may submit their questions to the speakers.
Yes, for those institutions who register with 25 or more registrations, transport will be provided to and fro by the Lecture organising team. This is not applicable for outstations institutions. Such institutions can contact the Lecture organising team at outreach@tnq.foundation
No, there is no certificate provided.
Yes, we do open spot registrations 45 minutes before the Lecture time.
No, seats are provided to spot registrants based on the availability in the main auditorium.
Registration is kept open until a pre-defined count since there are usually dropouts on the day of the event and the seats are provisioned on a first-come basis.
Also, you will get a prior notification about the next lecture as you are added to our database upon registration.
No, swapping of registration this is not permitted.
Yes, there will be high tea served soon after the Lecture is completed.
No, recording the talk is strictly not allowed as the talk may contain unpublished research material.
You should be reporting to the auditorium at least 30 minutes before the commencement of Lecture.