It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Vaughan F. R. Jones.

Sir Vaughan Jones, Stevenson Distinguished Professor of Mathematics of Vanderbilt University and Professor Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley, passed away suddenly this week. Vaughan Jones was a New Zealand-born mathematician based in the USA, renowned worldwide for his remarkable work on von Neumann algebras and knot polynomials.

In 1990 he was awarded a Fields medal for his discoveries in the mathematical study of knots, including an application to an invariant now known as the Jones polynomial. This led to the solution of a number of classical problems in knot theory, and to increased interest in low-dimensional topology.

EMS Vice-President Betül Tanbay, who knew him for more than thirty five years since the "bright guy on bike" had arrived to Berkeley, describes him as "a wonderful human being, a shining windsurfer and a great mathematician".

Prof. Jones was to deliver a public lecture at the 8th European Congress in Mathematics in Slovenia in 2021. The EMS extends deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and the wider mathematical community.