Maryam Mirzakhani, an award-winning mathematician who made significant contributions to mathematics teaching and research worldwide, died peacefully on July 15, 2017. She was 40 years old. Mirzakhani was born in Tehran, Iran on May 3, 1977. She earned her undergraduate degree at Sharif University of Technology and her doctorate at Harvard in 2004. Mirzakhani then went on to hold professor positions at Princeton University and later at Stanford University, where she served a professor of mathematics from 2008 to the time of her death. Mirzakhani was honored with several awards and recognitions for contributions to mathematics, including the Fields Medal, the highest honor a mathematician can receive, awarded in 2014 by the International Mathematical Union. Other awards included the 2009 Clay Research Award and the Satter Prize of the American Mathematical Society in 2013. Much of her research centered around geometry and dynamical systems. She was described as a "rare combination of superb technical ability, bold ambition, far-reaching vision, and deep curiosity". Mirzakhani is survived by her husband of fifteen years, Jan Vondrák, and her daughter Anahita. Her sister, Frazier Mirzakhani, said, "Maryam is gone far too soon, but her impact will live on for the thousands of women she inspired to pursue math and science."