Gauss Prize Winner Yurii Nesterov Joins CUHK-Shenzhen Full-Time

According to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), mathematician Yurii Nesterov, who recently received the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM)​, has joined CUHK-Shenzhen full-time this year. He serves as a professor in the School of Data Science and a professor at the Center for AI Theory and Systems at the Shenzhen Loop Area Institute, an experimental zone for cultivating top-tier innovative talent in artificial intelligence.

Professor Yurii Nesterov is a world-leading scholar in optimization theory. He is a foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a member of the European Academy of Sciences, and a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences of Montenegro. His research, including his development of accelerated gradient methods, has laid important foundations for modern machine learning and optimization algorithms and has had a profound impact on mathematics, computer science, and artificial intelligence.

Speaking about his decision to join CUHK-Shenzhen full-time, Nesterov said in an interview:

“It was actually somewhat accidental. In 2023, I received an award from the World Association of Top Scientists, and the organizers arranged for me to visit several Chinese universities, including universities in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. I found Shenzhen very attractive — it is active, young, and full of opportunities and talented professionals. In 2024, I received an offer for a professorship from CUHK-Shenzhen and decided to give it a try. I worked here as a part-time professor for about three years and found that it was indeed a very good place. So when they proposed that I join full-time, I was very happy to accept.

“The Shenzhen Loop Area Institute mainly works with young researchers who have already earned their Ph.D.s, while CUHK-Shenzhen focuses on educating and training new students and researchers. The collaboration between the two is very important.”

Nesterov on Shenzhen

Speaking about his impressions of Shenzhen, Nesterov said the city’s pace of development had been particularly striking.

“What surprised me most was how quickly Shenzhen is changing. I came to Shenzhen in 2024, and over the past two and a half years, many things have rapidly changed for the better. Shenzhen today is much better than it was in 2024. Everything is moving forward, and that is very encouraging.

“Shenzhen has many advantages. First, it has a young and dynamic generation, good universities and research centers, and a great deal of economic activity, particularly in high-tech industries. Its geographical location is also excellent, making it a major regional hub. So it really is a very good place to work and live.”

Nesterov also praised the level of mathematics education in Shenzhen, saying that it had reached an internationally leading standard.

“I think the level of mathematics education in Shenzhen is very high and has reached a world-class standard. This year, two young Chinese mathematicians received the Fields Medal, one of whom is from Shenzhen. This demonstrates how important China has become in science.

“For basic mathematics education, I would suggest teaching not only pure mathematics but also more applied mathematics — teaching people how to build models that can be solved by computers and are numerically tractable.”

A Major Year of Recognition

At the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians, Nesterov received the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize, becoming the sixth recipient worldwide since the award was established.

The Gauss Prize is one of the highest honors in applied mathematics and is among the most prestigious awards in the mathematical sciences, alongside the Fields Medal and the Chern Medal.

Earlier in 2026, Nesterov also received the 2026 NAAI Academy Award from the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI) for his foundational contributions to convex optimization theory and their far-reaching impact on modern machine learning.

The NAAI Academy Award is the highest honor bestowed by NAAI. It recognizes outstanding scientists whose work has made historically significant contributions to the theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence and its core scientific questions.