Shou-Wu Zhang
Encyclopedia
Shou-Wu Zhang is a professor of mathematics
at Columbia University
and Princeton University
. He specializes in number theory
and arithmetical algebraic geometry.
Shou-Wu Zhang was born in Hexian, Ma'anshan
, Anhui
, China
on October 9, 1962. Zhang was admitted by the Sun Yat-sen University
chemistry
department in 1980 and later he was transferred to the mathematics department of the same institution. He got his bachelor's degree in 1983 and became a graduate student in the Chinese Academy of Sciences
. He finished his master's degree and went to Columbia University
in 1986, working with Professor Szpiro and Faltings. He received his PhD in 1991 and then became a member of the Institute for Advanced Study
and an assistant professor at Princeton University
from 1991 to 1996. Zhang has been tenured at Columbia University
since 1996.
Zhang's main contributions to number theory
and arithmetical algebraic geometry are his theory of positive line bundles in Arakelov theory
which he used to prove (along with E. Ullmo) the Bogomolov conjecture, and also his generalization of the Gross-Zagier theorem from elliptic curves to abelian varieties of GL
(2) type over totally real fields. In particular, the latter result led him to a proof of the rank one Birch-Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for abelian varieties of GL(2) type over totally real fields. He has also developed the theory of algebraic dynamical systems.
The honors that Zhang has received includes Sloan Foundation Research
Fellowship (1997), Morningside Gold Medal of Mathematics (1998), Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship (2009), and Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011).
Zhang is currently serving in the scientific committees of the Fields Institute of Mathematics, and the Center for Advanced Study in Tsinghua University, and the editorial boards of Journal of Algebraic Geometry,
Journal of Differential Geometry, and Sciences in China.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He specializes in number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
and arithmetical algebraic geometry.
Shou-Wu Zhang was born in Hexian, Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan
Ma'anshan , also written as Maanshan, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Anhui province in Eastern China. An industrial city stretching across the Yangtze River, Ma'anshan borders Hefei to the west, Wuhu to the southwest, and Nanjing to the east...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
on October 9, 1962. Zhang was admitted by the Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University, also unofficially referred to as Zhongshan University , is a prominent university located mainly in Guangzhou, China. The University is named after Dr...
chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
department in 1980 and later he was transferred to the mathematics department of the same institution. He got his bachelor's degree in 1983 and became a graduate student in the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
. He finished his master's degree and went to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1986, working with Professor Szpiro and Faltings. He received his PhD in 1991 and then became a member of the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
and an assistant professor at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
from 1991 to 1996. Zhang has been tenured at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
since 1996.
Zhang's main contributions to number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
and arithmetical algebraic geometry are his theory of positive line bundles in Arakelov theory
Arakelov theory
Arakelov theory is an approach to Diophantine geometry, named for Suren Arakelov. It is used to study Diophantine equations in higher dimensions.-Background:...
which he used to prove (along with E. Ullmo) the Bogomolov conjecture, and also his generalization of the Gross-Zagier theorem from elliptic curves to abelian varieties of GL
General linear group
In mathematics, the general linear group of degree n is the set of n×n invertible matrices, together with the operation of ordinary matrix multiplication. This forms a group, because the product of two invertible matrices is again invertible, and the inverse of an invertible matrix is invertible...
(2) type over totally real fields. In particular, the latter result led him to a proof of the rank one Birch-Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for abelian varieties of GL(2) type over totally real fields. He has also developed the theory of algebraic dynamical systems.
The honors that Zhang has received includes Sloan Foundation Research
Fellowship (1997), Morningside Gold Medal of Mathematics (1998), Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship (2009), and Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011).
Zhang is currently serving in the scientific committees of the Fields Institute of Mathematics, and the Center for Advanced Study in Tsinghua University, and the editorial boards of Journal of Algebraic Geometry,
Journal of Differential Geometry, and Sciences in China.