Kefeng Liu (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: 刘克峰; born 12 December 1965), is a

-American

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

who is known for his contributions to

geometric analysis Geometric analysis is a mathematical discipline where tools from differential equations, especially elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs), are used to establish new results in differential geometry and differential topology. The use of ...

, particularly the geometry, topology and analysis of

moduli spaces In mathematics, in particular algebraic geometry, a moduli space is a geometric space (usually a scheme (mathematics), scheme or an algebraic stack) whose points represent algebro-geometric objects of some fixed kind, or isomorphism classes of suc ...

Riemann surfaces In mathematics, particularly in complex analysis, a Riemann surface is a connected one-dimensional complex manifold. These surfaces were first studied by and are named after Bernhard Riemann. Riemann surfaces can be thought of as deformed ve ...

and

Calabi–Yau manifold In algebraic geometry, a Calabi–Yau manifold, also known as a Calabi–Yau space, is a particular type of manifold which has properties, such as Ricci flatness, yielding applications in theoretical physics. Particularly in superstri ...

s. He is a professor of mathematics at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

, as well as the

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the Center of Mathematical Sciences at Zhejiang University. He is best known for his collaboration with Bong Lian and

Shing-Tung Yau Shing-Tung Yau (; ; born April 4, 1949) is a Chinese-American mathematician and the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. In April 2022, Yau announced retirement from Harvard to become Chair Professor of mathem ...

in which they establish some

enumerative geometry In mathematics, enumerative geometry is the branch of algebraic geometry concerned with counting numbers of solutions to geometric questions, mainly by means of intersection theory. History The problem of Apollonius is one of the earliest examp ...

conjectures motivated by

mirror symmetry In mathematics, reflection symmetry, line symmetry, mirror symmetry, or mirror-image symmetry is symmetry with respect to a reflection. That is, a figure which does not change upon undergoing a reflection has reflectional symmetry. In 2D ther ...

Biography

Liu was born in

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the No ...

Henan province Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

, China. In 1985, Liu received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in mathematics from the Department of Mathematics of Peking University in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. In 1988, Liu obtained his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the Institute of Mathematics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing. Liu then went to study in the United States, obtaining a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1993 under

. From 1993 to 1996, Liu was

C. L. E. Moore Instructor The job title of C. L. E. Moore instructor is given by the Math Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to recent math Ph.D.s hired for their promise in pure mathematics research. The instructors are expected to do both teaching and rese ...

at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. From 1996 to 2000, Liu was an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree A docto ...

at Stanford University. Liu joined the

faculty in 2000, where he was promoted to full professor in 2002. In September 2003, Liu was appointed as the head of

Zhejiang University Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the n ...

's mathematics department.Professor Kefeng Liu is Appointed as Head of Mathematical Department
/ref> Liu is currently the executive director of the Center of Mathematical Sciences at Zhejiang University.

Awards and honors

* Frederick E. Terman Fellow (1997-2001) *

Sloan Fellowship The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This program is one of the oldest of its kind in the United States. ...

(1998-2001) *

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the a ...

(2002) * Silver Morningside Medal (1998) * Morningside Gold Medal in Mathematics (2004) * invited speaker, 2002 International Congress of Mathematicians

Editorial Work

*
Communications in Analysis and Geometry
', Editor-in-Chief *
Pure and Applied Mathematical Quarterly
', Co-Editor-in-Chief. *
Asian Journal of Mathematics
', Editor. *
Pacific Journal of Mathematics
', Editor. *
Notices of the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians
', Co-Editor-in-Chief. *
Advanced Lectures in Mathematics
', Executive Editor. *
Science China Mathematics
', Editor. *
Mathematics and Humanities
', Co-Editor-in-Chief.

References

External links

Homepage of Kefeng Liu at UCLA

Homepage of Kefeng Liu at ZJU

"A brief summary of my researches" by Kefeng Liu

The Mathematics Genealogy Project – Kefeng Liu

Knowledge, Technique, and Imagination – Kefeng Liu Hangzhou, April 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Kefeng 1965 births Living people 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians American science writers Chinese science writers Educators from Henan Harvard University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty Mathematicians from Henan Peking University alumni People's Republic of China emigrants to the United States Sloan Research Fellows University of California, Los Angeles faculty Writers from Kaifeng Zhejiang University faculty