Justin Sun Prize Honors Researchers for Solving Erdős Problems with AI Collaboration
On October 5, 2026, the Office of Justin Sun announced the latest recipients of the Justin Sun Prize, an academic initiative supporting advancements in mathematics, formal verification, and AI-assisted scientific discovery. The honorees include independent researcher Wouter van Doorn, mathematics Ph.D. student Quanyu Tang, and researcher Yanyang Li from Nanjing’s Southeast University. They were recognized for their contributions to solving six Erdős problems, mathematical questions posed or popularized by Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős.
Erdős problems are known for their simplicity in statement but complexity in solution, often shaping research in number theory and combinatorics. The Erdős catalog, maintained by Thomas Bloom, includes over 1,200 problems. Van Doorn and Tang collaborated with Li to solve Erdős Problem #650, determining how many integers can be matched to distinct multiples within a specified interval. Van Doorn also produced computer-checkable proofs in Lean, a software for verifying mathematical reasoning, for three other Erdős problems (#369, #457, and #469). Tang resolved Erdős Problem #1044 and contributed to solving #1196 with a wider team.
The researchers’ work on Erdős Problem #650 highlighted the potential of human-AI collaboration. ChatGPT helped develop the proof strategy, while Aristotle, an AI system for mathematical reasoning, repaired a gap during Lean formalization. The team then simplified the argument and wrote the final proofs and exposition. “This experience taught me how public feedback can sharpen a research question, and how AI-assisted discovery can combine mathematical judgment, collaboration and rigorous verification,” Tang said.
The Justin Sun Prize aims to support mathematical discovery and the work needed to make proofs independently checkable. The prizes will be paid out in either USDT on TRON (TRC-20) or USDC on Ethereum (ERC-20), based on the recipient’s choice. Information about the prize, its problem catalog, and recipient contributions is available through the program’s public GitHub repository.