Recently, the Leslie Fox Prize of the Institute of Applied Mathematics in the UK awarded the second prize to Chinese mathematician Zhou Yunqi (31 years old). Up to this point, Zhou Yunqi is the first Chinese mathematician to be honored at this prize.
Faced with the attention that the media and public in her homeland have given her, Chu Van Ky shared: "I hope that in the future I can return to China to teach at universities and contribute my knowledge to the development of mathematics in the country."
The beautiful mathematician is controversial
Zhou Yunqi's appeal to the Chinese online community began in a rather... turbulent way. In 2022, when she shared that she graduated as valedictorian of her master's degree in mathematics at Oxford University (UK), Zhou Yunqi was suspected by the online community in her home country of lying.
Many people were skeptical because they saw that she "didn't look like an excellent student". A series of skeptical and attacking comments were directed at Van Ky. Her personal photos were immediately analyzed in a negative way, from her fashion style, to the fact that she often traveled, participated in sports activities such as boat racing, mountain climbing, horse riding...
Chu Van Ky is studying for a PhD in applied mathematics at Oxford University (Photo: Jimu News).
Recalling that “stormy” period, Van Ky said she experienced many emotions when she had to endure attacks from a part of the online community. But it was also during that period that she received a lot of encouragement from friends and the academic community.
Van Ky said she had a strong mentality and remained focused on her studies, not letting the attacks derail her life during the period of “cyber violence” in 2022. By sharing her story, Van Ky hopes to contribute to gradually eliminating gender stereotypes.
Up to now, the name Chu Van Ky has become familiar to the Chinese online community and received much admiration.
In February this year, Chu Van Ky received a job offer from the mathematics department of Oxford University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in applied mathematics at Oxford. After graduating with her PhD later this year, Van Ky will begin a two-year postdoctoral research assignment.
In addition, she will teach master's courses in mathematics at Oxford starting next year. Van Ky's salary at this school is about 400,000 yuan/year (nearly 1.5 billion VND).
Chu Van Ky caused a stir in the Chinese online community because of her impressive education and beautiful appearance (Photo: Jimu News).
Childhood pain and boredom
Chu Van Ky was born in 1994, in an intellectual family. Her mother is a former gifted student of the University of Science and Technology of China, and her father is a PhD in artificial intelligence. She grew up in Shenzhen, China.
As a child, Van Ky was often sick and had to miss school, which led to poor academic results and was often teased by friends. As a child, Van Ky felt very bored with studying.
At that time, her mother decided to quit her job to teach her child at home, in order to help her gradually feel the joy of learning. The process of self-study at home lasted two years but was enough to help Van Ky quickly become an excellent student when she returned to school. In Van Ky's memory, her mother was the one who guided her on the path of learning, encouraging her to explore and solve problems on her own.
Van Ky’s father was the one who helped her develop a love for mathematics. He often spent time chatting happily with his daughter about many topics, sometimes talking about mathematical knowledge and trying to explain it simply for her to understand. Those interesting conversations planted the first seeds of passion for mathematics in Van Ky’s heart.
Chu Van Ky actively shares her own images on Chinese social networks to inspire many other women (Photo: Jimu News).
16 years old received an invitation from Oxford University
After two years of homeschooling, Yun Qi passed the entrance exam to Shenzhen International High School and returned to school. In 2010, at the age of 16, she received an acceptance letter from Oxford University.
In 2014, after receiving her bachelor's and master's degrees from Oxford University, Van Ky worked as an investment analyst at the Hong Kong branch of financial company JPMorgan, then moved to investment bank Goldman Sachs.
After 6 years working in the finance and banking sector, Van Ky had a high income and a solid position, but she began to feel empty and thought a lot about the value of work.
Finally, she decided to return to school in 2020. Van Ky enrolled in a master's degree in numerical analysis and scientific computing at the University of Oxford. Here, Van Ky once again shined on her academic path, graduating at the top of her class and receiving an invitation to continue her doctoral studies at Oxford.
Currently, Chu Van Ky is studying for a PhD in applied mathematics. She wants to pursue a career in mathematical research and believes that mathematics is the “true destination of the soul”.
According to SCMP/Shenzhen Youth
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/su-nghiep-thang-hoa-cua-nu-tien-si-toan-tung-bi-chi-trich-chi-vi-qua-dep-20250726170613924.htm
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