ICM Public Lecture: Ingrid Daubechies

Mathemalchemy: A Mathematical and Artistic Adventure

Speaker: Ingrid Daubechies
Date: July 28, 2026, 3:30 - 4:30 pm

ABSTRACT
Mathemalchemy is a collaborative art installation conceived as the brainchild of mathematician and physicist Ingrid Daubechies and fiber artist Dominique Ehrmann, and driven by the energy and enthusiasm of 24 mathematical artists and artistic mathematicians. The installation celebrates the creativity and beauty of mathematics. Playful constructs include a flurry of Koch snowflakes, Riemann basalt cliffs, and Lebesgue terraces. It was designed and constructed during the pandemic, and has been touring North America since January 2022; it will soon move to its 5th exhibition venue. The talk will review the genesis and creation of the installation, and highlight some of its mathematical features.

SPEAKER BIO
Ingrid Daubechies is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Duke University. Her sprawling research career has touched fields as diverse as art restoration, evolutionary biology, electrical engineering and, most notably, image and data processing. Her most famous contributions concern wavelets, mathematical structures vital for modern signal processing. Her proposal of an institute devoted to data analysis ultimately led to the formation of the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute.

She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Academia Europaea. She is a 1992 MacArthur Fellow and served as president of the International Mathematical Union from 2011 to 2014. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Academy of Sciences Award in Mathematics, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, the Bakerian Medal, the National Medal of Science, the Nemmers Prize, the Fudan-Zhongzhi Science Award and the Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research.

ABOUT ICM

The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is among the largest and most prestigious mathematical conferences worldwide. Held every four years, it is a showcase of contemporary mathematics and an opportunity for outstanding mathematicians from the global community to present the best work, covering all mathematical subfields and setting future directions for the field as a whole. The last U.S.-based ICM was held in 1986 in Berkeley, CA and after 40 years, the congress will return to Philadelphia, PA July 23-30, 2026.
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

• You must be 18+ to attend this event
• Registration will close 1 hour prior to event.
• Please only register yourself and use your complete first and last name as it appears on your photo ID when filling in the form.
• Tickets under the same name do not count as registrations for others and each ticket must be registered under an individual attendee’s name. If you have a guest you would like to bring with you to this event, please send them the link to register so they can sign up on their own.
• Please note that the International Congress of Mathematicians will never ask for credit card information or require payment for registration to our free public events.
  

BUILDING ENTRY PROTOCOL

• Enter the Pennsylvania Convention Center via Broad St Atrium.
• Check-in at a kiosk and print a badge. All attendees must have a badge to enter the Terrace Ballroom.
• Limited seating is available for this in-person event on a first-come, first-served basis.

INCLUDED WITH TICKET

• Exhibit Hall Access 3:00-6:00 pm
• Mathemalchemy

SCHEDULE

Doors open: 3:00 pm (No entrance before 3:00 pm)

Lecture: 3:30 - 4:30 pm (Admittance closes at 3:50 pm)

All attendees must register in advance to attend this event. By registering, participants agree to follow the .

COMPLETE PUBLIC LECTURES SERIES

• Public Lecture with Terence Tao | Register Here
  Friday, July 24, 2026 7:15-8:15 pm
• Public Lecture with Thalithia Williams | Register Here
  Saturday, July 25, 2026 5:30-6:30 pm
• Public Lecture with Geordie Williamson | Register Here
  Sunday, July 26, 2026 3:30-4:30 pm
• Public Lecture with Manjul Bhargava | Register Here
  Monday, July 27, 2026 3:30-4:30 pm
• Public Lecture with Ingrid Daubechies | Register Here
  Tuesday, July 28, 2026 3:30-4:30 pm
  

OTHER ICM OUTREACH INITIATIVES

• Math Festival Day 1 | Register Here
  Friday, July 24, 2026 2:00 - 6:00 pm
• Film Screening + Q&A of Journeys of Black Mathematicians Part 1: Forging Resilience| Register Here
  Friday, July 24, 2026 2:00 - 3:45 pm
• Film Screening + Q&A of Journeys of Black Mathematicians Part 2: Creating Pathways| Register Here
  Saturday, July 25, 2026 11:00 am - 12:45 pm
• The Proof in the Code: A Conversation with Author Kevin Hartnett & Publisher Thomas Lin | Register Here
  Saturday, July 25, 2026 1:15 - 2:15 pm
• Math Festival Day 2 | Register Here
  Saturday, July 25, 2026 2:00 - 6:00 pm
• Math, Music and the Mind: Analysis of the Performed Trio Sonatas of J. S. Bach and Organ Performance at Cathedral Basilica | Register Here
  Saturday, July 25, 2026 5:00 - 6:30 pm
• From Classroom to Canvas: Creating the ICM Mural with Oluwafemi | Register Here
  Sunday, July 26, 2026 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• Felix Klein – Insights from the Outside| Register Here
  Sunday, July 26, 2026 5:00 - 6:30 pm
• Sandbox Films Screening of PHENOMENA| Register Here
  Sunday, July 26, 2026 7:30 - 10:00 pm
• The American Mathematical Society Presents: The Music of Mathematics | Register Here
  Tuesday, July 28, 2026 7:30 - 10:00 pm

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