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The University of Hong Kong (HKU) welcomes Professor Ngô Bảo Châu, recipient of the 2010 Fields Medal, to join the Department of Mathematics under the Faculty of Science, commencing June 2026. Professor Ngô earned global recognition for his groundbreaking proof of the fundamental lemma in the Langlands Programme, a monumental achievement that solved a three-decade-old mathematical challenge and was named one of Time magazine's Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2009.

Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, remarked, “Professor Ngô's joining HKU marks another defining moment in HKU’s mission to pursue excellence in global scholarship, cementing our role as a global nexus for visionary research and exceptional talent. We look forward to the catalysis this will bring to new intellectual frontiers, while reinforcing Hong Kong’s standing as a premier hub for world-class scholarship—where East and West converge to shape the future of knowledge.”

The Langlands Programme, proposed by mathematician Robert Langlands in 1967, stands as one of mathematics' most ambitious theoretical frameworks, creating vital connections between number theory and group theory. For three decades, its fundamental lemma remained unproven until Professor Ngô's ingenious solution in 2009, which not only validated years of mathematical work but also opened new pathways within this profound theoretical structure.

In 2010, Professor Ngô made history by becoming the first Vietnamese mathematician awarded the Fields Medal – mathematics' highest honour for researchers under 40. Along with the Abel Prize, these awards are widely regarded as the discipline's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. His transformative contributions to number theory and representation theory have had far-reaching implications across mathematical physics. His distinguished honours include the Clay Research Award (2004), Oberwolfach Prize (2007), Sophie Germain Prize (2007), and election as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012) and a Foreign Member of the French Academy of Sciences (2016).

Professor Ngô expressed his vision for joining HKU's academic community, "HKU's global connectivity and interdisciplinary culture create the ideal environment for transformative research. I am excited to collaborate with the University's brightest minds – not only to advance mathematics but to shape its future as a discipline that will redefine scientific discovery for decades to come."

The arrival of Professor Ngô significantly strengthens HKU's position as a global leader in fundamental research, where world-class scholars unite to drive transformative interdisciplinary breakthroughs and ignite a spirit of intellectual daring that transcends academic boundaries.