The mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck has become the first woman to win the Abel prize , sometimes called the Nobel prize of mathematics. Uhlenbeck has been awarded the 6 million Norwegian kroner ($700,000) prize for her work in the fields of gauge theory and geometric analysis, which have been credited with far-reaching impact in both mathematics and physics.

Gauge theory underpins much of modern theoretical physics, and is integral to cutting-edge research in particle physics , general relativity and string theory . Her work laid the foundations for one of the major milestones of 20 ^th century physics , the unification of two of the four fundamental forces of nature, electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force.

“The holy grail in physics has always been unification of forces,” says Jim Al-Khalili at the University of Surrey, UK, who gave a talk about Uhlenbeck’s prize-winning work today. “She has made a big contribution to the mathematics that allowed us to progress some considerable way along this path.”

Among her other meaningful contributions was her work on the calculus of variations, the study of how small changes in one quantity can help find the minimum or maximum value of another. A real-world example comes in blowing soap bubbles, which always adjust their shape so that their surface area is minimised. Predicting comparable structures in higher dimensions is enormously challenging, but Uhlenbeck’s work has greatly helped.

Uhlenbeck has always blazed a trail for women in mathematics. Her plenary lecture at the 1990’s International Congress of Mathematicians was the first delivered by a woman since Emmy Noether in 1932.

When she was awarded the American Mathematical Society’s Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research in 2007, she blamed the culture of the mathematical community for the small numbers of women in leadership positions. In a self-deprecating summation of her award-winning work, she said “changing the culture is a momentous task in comparison to the other minor accomplishments I have mentioned.”

For many, her work as an advocate for greater diversity in the field is as noteworthy as her scientific breakthroughs. “I think her contribution transcends just her work in mathematics,” says Al-Khalili.

First awarded in 2003, the Abel Prize is presented by the King of Norway to a mathematician who has made extraordinary contributions to the field. It has in the past been given to Andrew Wiles for his proof of Fermat’s last theorem, and the Nobel Prize-winning game theorist John Nash , who was made famous by the movie A Beautiful Mind .