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Chinese math prodigy leaves US to return home and pursue AI
AI2 min read
Ma Tieu, a famous Chinese math prodigy, is leaving the United States to return to China. He wants to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) instead of pure math research.
What happened
Ma Tieu, a 28-year-old mathematician, quit his job in the U.S. and moved to the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, Anhui province. USTC said on November 1 that he will be an associate professor at its Institute of General Artificial Intelligence and its Institute of Geometry and Physics. He says he will now spend his time on AI, not only on pure math.
Who he is
Two years ago, Ma helped solve a famous old problem called Hilbert's Sixth Problem. The problem asks how the chaotic world of tiny atoms connects to the smooth, predictable rules that govern fluids like water and air. His team's breakthrough was published in Annals of Mathematics. His colleague Dang Vu won the 2026 Fields Medal, the most important prize in mathematics. Ma also got a teaching job at the University of Michigan. He started learning university-level calculus on his own when he was in sixth grade. At 16, he joined USTC's special school for gifted students.
Key facts
- Age: 28
- Moved to USTC in Hefei, Anhui province, from the United States
- USTC's gifted school takes about 40 students a year, even before they finish high school
- About 90% of those students go on to study at higher levels in China or abroad
- Ma got his PhD in mathematics from Princeton's program in 2023 and then worked at the University of Michigan
What he plans next
Ma says AI could soon become very advanced. He thinks it might even solve Hilbert's Sixth Problem one day. In the next 2 to 3 years, he may shift his main focus to AI agents, which are programs that can carry out tasks on their own. He has built a system called qmd-prover that works on proof problems. He is also trying to link ideas, proofs, checking, and paper writing into one automatic process.
Why it matters
Ma's move shows how top scientists are turning to AI. He believes future math discoveries may be made by computers. His choice also shows China's push to build new AI research centers, such as the USTC institute that opened in January 2026.
Glossary
- USTC
- University of Science and Technology of China, a major public university in Hefei, China.
- Hilbert's Sixth Problem
- A famous old math question about linking the tiny, random world of atoms to the orderly laws that describe fluids like water and air.
- Fields Medal
- A top international prize in mathematics, given to young mathematicians about every four years.
- Annals of Mathematics
- A respected academic journal where major new math research is published.
- qmd-prover
- An AI system built by Ma Tieu to help solve math proofs.