On November 30, Nankai University presented its second Mathematical Talent Award to Joshua Zahl, Chair Professor at the Chern Institute of Mathematics.

Prof. Zahl was born in 1986. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the California Institute of Technology, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He held positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, and the University of British Columbia, Canada, before joining NKU as a full-time Chair Professor in June 2025. Prof. Zahl’s research focuses on classical harmonic analysis and combinatorics, including the Kakeya conjecture, sum-product problems, and the Erdős distinct distances problem. His highly original research findings, published in top-tier international journals, including Inventiones Mathematicae and the Journal of the American Mathematical Society, have earned significant attention and recognition from the global academic community. He has been invited to deliver a keynote speech 

Attendees of the event included Chen Yulu, NKU President, Zhang Wenzhong, Lifelong Trustee of NKU and Founder of Wumart Group, and Long Yiming and Zhang Weiping, Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professors at the Chern Institute of Mathematics. NKU Vice President Bai Chengming presided over the award ceremony.

President Chen Yulu and Mr. Zhang Wenzhong jointly presented the award to Prof. Zahl.

The Nankai University Mathematical Talent Award was established with donations from a number of NKU alumni. It aims to attract outstanding mathematical talents and recognize their exceptional research achievements. The establishment of this award embodies the profound commitment of NKU alumni to supporting the university’s development and bears their ardent hopes for an even more brilliant future of mathematics.

President Chen Yulu extended his warm congratulations to Prof. Zahl and expressed his gratitude to all alumni who have cared for and supported the development of mathematics at NKU, with special thanks to alumnus Zhang Wenzhong as their representative. He highlighted NKU’s profound heritage in mathematics and remarkable achievements in areas such as algebra, geometry, and number theory in recent years. He noted that NKU is steadily advancing towards a comprehensive and internationally influential center of mathematical excellence. Prof. Zahl, who joined the Chern Institute of Mathematics as a full-time member this year, has achieved a major breakthrough in the research of the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture in collaboration with Prof. Wang Hong. Their related findings have been successively published in top-tier international mathematics journals, injecting fresh momentum into the development of mathematics at NKU. He also emphasized that the sustained support of NKU alumni, as evidenced by the Mathematical Talent Award, is indispensable to the advancement of mathematics at the university. As China places high priority on the development of basic sciences, the role of mathematics as a core pillar has become increasingly prominent. Moving forward, NKU will continue to strengthen the development of mathematics. With the support of its alumni, NKU will strive to elevate its mathematics discipline to world-class standards and create a new era of brilliance for the discipline.

In his address, Mr. Zhang Wenzhong expressed his expectations for further development of mathematics at NKU. He pointed out that the establishment of the Mathematical Talent Award was a shared aspiration among graduates of NKU’s mathematics programs. He hoped that this award would mark a new starting point for the Chern Institute of Mathematics, attracting more outstanding international mathematicians to join NKU and advance the development of mathematics both in China and the world at large.

In his acceptance speech, Prof. Zahl acknowledged the international reputation of the mathematics discipline at NKU and expressed his honor in working at the Chern Institute of Mathematics. He noted that fields such as discrete mathematics and harmonic analysis are currently embracing significant development opportunities, with many important problems yet to be explored. He looked forward to collaborating with faculty and students at the Chern Institute of Mathematics to explore emerging areas in mathematics, and contributing to the cultivation of the next generation of mathematical talent.

The award ceremony was followed by the “Dialogue with Joshua Zahl” session, during which Prof. Zahl engaged in in-depth discussions with NKU’s faculty and students on cutting-edge topics in the field of mathematics.

In recent years, NKU has established positions such as Chair Professor to attract a number of top-notch scholars from China and abroad. Over the past year, internationally renowned scholars, including Guo Shaoming, Ma Xiaonan, and Joshua Zahl, have successively joined the Chern Institute of Mathematics as full-time members, fueling the thriving development of the discipline.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)