Fields Medal mathematics prize won by female for first time

An Iranian mathematician has become the first ever female to win the Fields Medal for mathematics.

Prof Maryam Mirzakhani grew up in Iran and moved to the United States to do her PhD at Harvard. She now teaches at Stanford University in California.

She was recognised for her work on complex geometry.

The Fields Medal is regarded as comparable to a Nobel Prize for maths.

It was established by Canadian mathematician John Fields in 1936 and is awarded every four years. Winner receive a 10,000 Euro prize.-