Prominent Chinese-origin scientists working around the globe are returning to their homeland, raising concerns about potential brain drain in the U.S. and Europe. Earlier this year, renowned geometer Sun Song returned to China after over a decade of work in the U.S. He previously served as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, but now works at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Zhejiang University. A strong candidate for the Fields Medal (the “Nobel Prize” in mathematics), Sun Song has expressed his desire to advance mathematics education in China.
Sun Song is among a growing list of top scientists and mathematicians who are leaving Western countries like the U.S., Germany, and Australia to return to China this year. Some scientists cite China’s growing scientific prowess as a key factor in their decision to return, hoping to contribute to the nation’s development and take on leadership roles in advancing its scientific efforts.
Top Chinese-origin and foreign scientists returning to China have highlighted the country’s rising educational power as a major draw. In recent years, China has actively invited renowned mathematicians to work within the country, signaling its growing competitiveness and influence in mathematics. However, some mathematicians, including Peter Sarnak, this year’s Shaw Prize winner in Mathematical Sciences, believe China still lags behind the U.S. by several decades in this field.
Peter Sarnak noted that China is becoming highly competitive and boasts “tremendous talent.” Before recruiting Sun Song this year, Zhejiang University had attracted former University of Michigan geometer Ruan Yongbin in 2021 and Harvard University number theorist Liu Yifei in 2022.
Japanese mathematician Kenji Fukaya, another prize-winning scholar, expressed hope that more Chinese-origin researchers would return home to teach and help build a strong community of highly skilled mathematicians. Fukaya recently left the U.S.-based Stony Brook University in September to become a full-time professor at Tsinghua University.
In the past month, two more award-winning mathematicians born in China have returned home after decades of teaching abroad. Ma Xiaonan, a leading expert in global analysis on manifolds and complex geometry, joined the Chern Institute of Mathematics as a chair professor at Nankai University in Tianjin. Ma cited the institution’s “strong academic foundation and spirit of innovation” as key reasons for his move, along with his goal to develop new talent with innovative skills and a global perspective.
Another Chinese-Australian mathematician, Wang Zuzjia, returned to his hometown of Hangzhou after nearly three decades to join Westlake University. Known for his work on differential equations, Wang received the Australian Mathematical Society Medal in 2002. In 2007, he became the first mainland Chinese Ph.D. recipient to win the gold medal at the Morningside Mathematics Prize, often referred to as the “Chinese Fields Medal.”
