Young genius leaves his homeland, becomes professor at world's top university at 38

Natural Mathematical Talent

Than Duong (1981) was born into an intellectual family in Chongqing (China). Known as a math genius in China, his parents always hoped that Than Duong would be successful in the future. Since childhood, he showed a sensitivity to numbers. No matter what he was doing, when he heard his father read the numbers, Than Duong would immediately stop and ask questions.

Recognizing his son's talent in Mathematics, Shen Yang's father began to applyeducational methods. He bought elementary school Math textbooks for him at the age of 4. After 2 months, Shen Yang had finished reading the entire book. At the age of 4, Shen Yang could calculate addition and subtraction within 100 accurately. At this time, he became a prodigy in the eyes of everyone. When he went to school, his achievements were always at the top.

*Mathematics Professor Tu Than Duong. Photo: Baidu*

To satisfy his curiosity and learning, his father enrolled Than Duong in a Math training class. Although the course content was beyond his ability, he was still interested 'like a fish in water'. Later, solving difficult problems became Than Duong's greatest joy. However, because he focused on studying Math, he neglected many subjects, of which English became the most difficult Math problem.

In secondary school, in order to keep up with the curriculum and improve his test scores, Than Duong had to reduce the frequency of studying Math to focus on English. With his diligence, he continuously won prizes in Math competitions and was a member of the Sichuan Province Math Team (China).

After joining the team, Shen Yang had the opportunity to participate in the Sichuan Province Winter Camp Math Competition. Here, he surpassed his limits and won the final. This achievement qualified Shen Yang to participate in the International Math Olympiad.

This was also an opportunity to help him get into a top university in China. Determining his own goals, he devoted his heart and time to Mathematics. Achieving good results in domestic and international competitions, in 1999, he was directly admitted to the Mathematics Department of Peking University.

Entering Peking University was Shen Yang's big dream. Not resting on his laurels, he continued to study and research hard in college. He spent most of his time researching or reading in the library.

With his efforts, in 2002, Than Duong graduated from university. This meant that he had completed his undergraduate program in 3 years. After that, he studied for a master's degree and graduated at the age of 23. Not satisfied with his achievements, Than Duong sought a doctoral scholarship in the US.

The first difficulty he encountered was his poor English. However, with the encouragement of his teachers and his tireless efforts, he was finally admitted to the doctoral program at Princeton University (USA).

For him, his time studying for his PhD was the happiest, because Princeton University (USA) is where professors who have won prestigious Mathematics awards gather. Communicating with them helps Than Duong immerse himself in the beauty of knowledge. At the same time, this place also contributed to creating a major breakthrough in Than Duong's academic research.

In 2008, he received his PhD in Mathematics from Princeton University under the guidance of Professor János Kollár. Encouraged by his professors, after graduating, Than Duong went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to participate in a postdoctoral research program.

During that process, he received invitations from many top American universities to become a lecturer. After careful consideration, he chose to teach at the University of Utah (USA). But after only 1 year, he decided to give up all recruitment in the US to return home to contribute at the age of 31.

Leaving home to contribute abroad

Returning to Vietnam in 2012, he received an invitation from Professor Dien Cuong - the person who helped Than Duong get to Princeton University (USA). The professor told Than Duong: "I hope you will join teaching at Peking University". To repay his teacher's kindness and express his gratitude, he agreed without thinking.

He has made significant contributions to his teaching career at Peking University. In 2013, he became a professor at the Beijing International Mathematics Research Center. In 2014, he received a grant from the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars and was honored as a Distinguished Professor by the Changjiang Scholars Foundation at Peking University.

In 2016, he received the 13th China Youth Science and Technology Award . In addition, Shen Yang is also the recipient of the Ramanujan Gold Award . In 2017, he was honored to be the only young professor in China to receive the Henri Poincaré Prize sponsored by the Daniel Iagolnitzer Foundation worth 1 million USD (24 billion VND).

*Chinese math genius leaves home to return to America to contribute. Photo: Baidu*

These awards made Shen Yang famous in the academic world. He was also the most powerful algebra researcher in the Chinese mathematics community. At that time, everyone thought that he would lead the mathematics department of Peking University to new heights. However, after 6 years working in China, the young professor decided to give up and return to the United States.

Returning to the US, in 2019, Than Duong was honored to receive the New Horizons Award for his contributions to Mathematics. With his contributions to the fields of Geometry and Algebra, in 2020, he became a member of the American Mathematical Association. In 2021, he continued to receive the Cole Prize in Algebra. Currently, Than Duong is a professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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