UCC Student Awarded Royal Irish Academy Hamilton Prize in Mathematics 2026

23 Oct 2026

Liam Waldron, a final year Mathematical Sciences student at UCC, was among those awarded the prestigious undergraduate Hamilton Prize in Mathematics from the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) on 16 October.

The prizes were awarded to nine undergraduate students as as part of the RIA's annual Hamilton Day celebration. The celebration also included the 2026 Hamilton Lecture, delivered by Fields Medallist Professor James Maynard.

Hamilton Day commemorates William Rowan Hamilton’s discovery of quaternions on 16 October 1843. Along with partners, Ibec, the sponsors of Hamiton Day, the Royal Irish Academy awards the Hamilton Prize in Mathematics to the top undergraduate mathematics students in their final year of study as nominated by their university, and hosts the Hamilton Lecture, a public lecture delivered by a world-renowned mathematician or theoretical physicist.

The prizewinning students also take part in a masterclass with the Hamilton Speaker. 

For this year’s lecture the Hamilton Speaker, Professor James Maynard delved into ‘The mysteries of prime numbers,’ exploring why prime numbers are vital, both in pure mathematics and in the real world, and how current mathematics is able to make progress on some of the key questions which have occupied mathematicians going back to the ancient Greeks.

The lecture addressed the theory and application of ongoing mathematical research into prime numbers and touched on ways that recent advances in AI are creating new opportunities and new challenges in the field of mathematics. 

Earlier in the day the nine winners of the Hamilton Prize in Mathematics each received their awards in a ceremony officiated by Professor Dan Carey, President of the Royal Irish Academy, and attended by their friends and family and representatives from their universities.

The other 2026 Hamilton Prize winners are Tim Callanan, University College Dublin; Freddie Costello, University of Limerick; Caoimhe Dooley, University of Galway; Vladimir Filatov, Technological University Dublin; Daniel Hilfeldt, Maynooth University; Finn McGlade, Dublin City University; John McKay, Queen’s University Belfast; and Artem Tarasenko, Trinity College Dublin. 

In recognition of their mathematical excellence, the students each received a cash prize and a certificate of achievement. They also attended an exclusive masterclass with Professor James Maybard, which was hosted by Ibec. 

During the ceremony, Professor Dan Carey, President of the Royal Irish Academy said: 

"Each year since 2002 the Royal Irish Academy has commemorated Hamilton’s ‘Eureka moment’ and his contribution to mathematics by celebrating Hamilton Day. We do this because Ireland has a rich history of scientific excellence that should be celebrated and recognised".