A generation of world-leading China-trained maths talent is on the horizon: Shing-Tung Yau

A generation of “homegrown” trained Chinese mathematicians should have emerged as global leaders in their field by 2030, according to former Harvard University professor Shing-Tung Yau.

Yau, a Fields medallist and now at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, offered the prediction at the start of a four-day gathering of the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians in Shanghai on Friday, according to the state-run Shanghai Observer.

The congress, a gathering held every three years of mathematicians of Chinese descent, also announced that Shanghai would be its permanent home, a move set to bolster China’s efforts to gain the edge in fundamental sciences in its growing competition with the West.

“When we can cultivate many outstanding academics, we will naturally attract more excellent scholars from abroad to come to China for research, forming a positive cycle of talent development,” said Yau, who retired from Harvard in 2022 to teach full-time at Tsinghua.

According to state media reports, the congress hopes to attract top scientists from around the world to Shanghai and foster the best talent to advance science and technology. To that end, it will host annual summer camps for the next generation of maths specialists.

He said that in the past, the congress’s awards for the best paper were typically won by overseas students or researchers.