Chinese mathematician He Xuhua Photo: Screenshot from media reports

Chinese mathematician He Xuhua, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, has been elected vice president of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), becoming the youngest person to hold this post at the IMU in the past two decades, and his election also marks the second time a Chinese mathematician has taken up this pivotal position since the Union's founding, Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday.

The appointment was finalized at the General Assembly of the IMU held in New York, the US, on local time Tuesday, the Science and Technology Daily learned from the Qiuzhen College of Tsinghua University.

He Xuhua is internationally recognized as a leading scholar in Lie theory, arithmetic geometry and representation theory. He has long devoted himself to research on frontier core conjectures in fundamental mathematics, achieving systematic and original breakthroughs in areas including Serre's conjecture, Shimura varieties, Hecke algebras, and Lusztig's conjecture on the positivity of canonical bases, Science and Technology Daily reported.

He Xuhua said that throughout his term, he will advance open collaboration and academic exchanges in global mathematical research, foster further prosperity of mathematical studies worldwide, and endeavor to expand the international space for China's mathematics community.

In addition, Professor Shan Peng from Tsinghua University was elected as the Member in charge of research grants for the IMU Commission for Developing Countries, the report said.

As the world's most authoritative academic organization for mathematicians, the IMU shapes global strategies for mathematical advancement, hosts the International Congress of Mathematicians, and administers the selection of top-tier global mathematics prizes such as the Fields Medal. It serves as a vital platform for international communication and cooperation within the mathematical community, per the report.


Global Times