Shing-Tung Yau

Shing-Tung Yau is a renowned mathematician who has made significant contributions to the fields of differential geometry, partial differential equations, and mathematical physics. His work has been influenced by prominent mathematicians such as Stephen Hawking, Andrew Strominger, and Richard Hamilton. Yau's research has also been closely related to the work of Albert Einstein, Marcel Grossmann, and Hermann Minkowski. He has collaborated with numerous mathematicians and physicists, including Nathan Seiberg, Edward Witten, and Cumrun Vafa.

● Early Life and Education

Yau was born in Shantou, Guangdong, China, and later moved to Hong Kong with his family. He attended Pui Ching Middle School and developed an interest in mathematics under the guidance of his teacher, Chiu-Chun Yuan. Yau then pursued his higher education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he was influenced by the work of Lap-Chee Tsui and Yue-Kong Pao. He later moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Ph.D. under the supervision of Blaine Lawson and Shiing-Shen Chern.

● Career

Yau began his academic career as an assistant professor at Stanford University, where he worked alongside prominent mathematicians such as George Dantzig and Donald Knuth. He later moved to Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he collaborated with Robert Langlands and Andrew Wiles. Yau then joined the faculty at Harvard University, where he has been a professor of mathematics since 1987. He has also held visiting positions at University of California, Los Angeles, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

● Research and Contributions

Yau's research has focused on the development of Calabi-Yau manifolds, which are essential in string theory and have been studied by physicists such as Brian Greene and Lisa Randall. His work on the Calabi conjecture has been influential in the development of differential geometry and has been applied to the study of black holes by physicists such as Kip Thorne and Stephen Hawking. Yau has also made significant contributions to the study of mirror symmetry, which has been explored by mathematicians such as Maxim Kontsevich and Alexander Givental. His research has been closely related to the work of Isadore Singer, Michael Atiyah, and Raoul Bott.

● Awards and Honors

Yau has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to mathematics and physics. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1982 for his work on the Calabi conjecture, and he has also received the Crafoord Prize and the Wolf Prize in Mathematics. Yau has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Academia Sinica. He has also been awarded honorary degrees from University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Peking University.

● Personal Life

Yau is married to Yu-Yun Chen, and they have two children together. He is a strong advocate for mathematics education and has worked to promote the development of mathematics in China and other countries. Yau has also been involved in various philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University. He has been recognized for his contributions to the development of mathematics in China and has received awards from the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Municipal Government.