Marius Crainic receives first Dutch Mathematics Prize

Marius Crainic, Professor of Differential Geometry at Utrecht University, has been awarded the 2026 Dutch Mathematics Prize. The award, presented every two years, recognises a mathematician working in the Netherlands whose research has had exceptional scientific impact and international visibility. 

“It is a great honour,” says Crainic. “It is also special that this is the first time the award is being presented.” The award ceremony featured lectures by his former PhD supervisor Ieke Moerdijk and by Camilo Arias Abad, the first PhD candidate Crainic supervised.

Coherent theory

Crainic receives the prize for his pioneering work on Poisson manifolds. This field has played a large role in the development of quantum mechanics, providing part of the mathematical framework that links classical mechanics to quantum theory. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the modern theory of Poisson manifolds. What began as a collection of separate examples inspired by quantum mechanics has, through his work, developed into a deep and coherent mathematical theory.

Room for detours

“I get my best ideas in the garden,” says Crainic. “It is very difficult to become inspired on demand. Inspiration often comes when you are doing something completely different – for me, that is gardening or cycling.” According to him, fundamental research does not always follow a predictable path. “When writing a grant proposal, you are expected to describe very clearly what you are going to do. But research is not linear. Sometimes it takes an unexpected turn and you end up discovering something entirely different from what you set out to find.” That is why he values the freedom to explore unexpected directions. “Sometimes there are discoveries waiting along those side paths. You may know you are looking for something, but not yet know exactly what it is.”

From Romania to Utrecht

Crainic grew up in Romania and came to Utrecht in 1995 through a European programme for talented students in the sciences. Apart from a year and a half at the University of California, Berkeley, he has remained affiliated with Utrecht University ever since.

Mathematics fascinated him from an early age. Both of his parents taught mathematics, and mathematical books could be found throughout the house. “At some point I came across one that really caught my interest, and that was it,” he recalls.

New questions

Geometry, in particular, captured his imagination. While still in secondary school, he began participating in mathematics Olympiads and eventually competed at the international level. Today, he leads a research group in Utrecht working on Poisson geometry, a field within modern geometry with important connections to physics and quantum mechanics.

Crainic is currently working with two PhD candidates on a book about Poisson manifolds. “I hope we will finish it this month. Then we can move on to new questions. There are always new questions. The more you know, the more you realise how little you know.”

It is very difficult to become inspired on demand. Inspiration often comes when you are doing something completely different – for me, that is gardening or cycling.

Supporting young researchers

Alongside his research, Crainic has supervised many early-career mathematicians, many of whom now hold academic positions at universities across Europe and the United States.

He has also taken on a number of leadership roles within the mathematical community. For several years, he served as director of the national mathematics cluster Geometry and Quantum Theory and as director of Utrecht University's Mathematical Institute. In 2016, he was elected a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).