Shing-Tung Yau

chair, mathematics, Harvard University

Shing-Tung Yau is a mathematician in the field of differential geometry. He has won many awards and fellowships, including the Fields Medal (the highest award given to mathematicians). His work has also had a major impact on physics, in particular in bolstering the legitimacy of string theory. He is the chair of the mathematics department at Harvard University, and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.