Stanford University professor is first woman to win top maths prize

An Iranian-born Stanford University professor is the first woman to win the Fields Medal, the highest honour in mathematics

The International Mathematics Union awarded the prize to Maryam Mirzakhani and three others earlier this week.

The prize and $13,700 are awarded every four years to mathematicians up to 40 years of age and was established in 1936.

Mirzakhani, 37, won for complex theoretical math on the symmetry of curved surfaces.