Passing away of Dr. Maryam Mirzakhani, a well-known mathematics scholar, was a shocking and devastating tragedy.
Iran particularly and the global scientific community in general has lost a brilliant mind and thinker. Dr. Mirzakhani who achieved the most prestigious award in the field of mathematics, is the only female to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics.
The Union for Secular Republic and Human Rights in Iran mourns her loss and sends its condolence to her family, scientific community, and scholars.
Born in 1977 in Iran, she won a gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad, the first female Iranian student to do so. In the 1995 International Mathematical Olympiad, she became the first Iranian student to achieve a perfect score and to win two gold medals. Mirzakhani then moved to the United States in 1999 after obtaining her BSc from Sharif University of Technology in Iran and continued her Ph.D. studies at Harvard University never to return to Iran.
Although the moderate faction of the Islamic Republic of Iran tried to lure Iranian scientists and academicians back to Iran, the harsh realities of the government policies associated with universities and scientific centers as well as the adverse political and cultural sphere and economic hardship made it difficult for them to return to their homeland.
As Iranian scientists living outside of Iran have gained great stature in all scientific areas, we believe a future democratic system of governance with righteous policies is able to encourage Iranian scientists and experts similar to Dr. Mirzakhani to return and help the nation. Iran has potential to gain the respect of international community more with increasing contributions in advancement of various scientific fields.