70-Year-Old Russian-Born Mathematician Embarks on New Career in China, Wins Prestigious Gauss Prize
Quick Look
Yurii Nesterov, a 70-year-old Russian-born Belgian mathematician, has joined CUHK-Shenzhen and SLAI in China, and shortly after, won the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize for applied mathematics.
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Why It Matters
China has been actively recruiting international talent to boost its tech and academic sectors.
When Russian-born Belgian mathematician Yurii Nesterov reached retirement age in 2023, he found himself at the centre of a technological storm. In June, Nesterov, now 70, embarked on a new full-time career in southern China’s tech hubs, joining the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) and the Shenzhen Loop Area Institute (SLAI) as a professor at the Centre for AI Theoretical Foundation and Systems. Almost immediately, the scholar won the highest honour in the global applied mathematics community – the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize – which he received at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) ceremony in Philadelphia on July 23. “The main feature of China today is the fast and progressive development,” Nesterov said.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Increased collaboration between Chinese and Western academics in AI
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific projects will Nesterov lead in China?
