

Yitang Zhang, 2014 MacArthur Fellow - jamesli
http://www.macfound.org/fellows/927/

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jessriedel
Yitang Zhang has an incredibly inspiring academic story of perseverance and
passion in the face of adversity:

> After graduation, Zhang had a hard time finding an academic position...He
> managed to find a position as a lecturer after many years, at the University
> of New Hampshire, where he was hired by Kenneth Appel back in 1999. Prior to
> getting back to academia, he worked for several years as an accountant and a
> delivery worker for a New York City restaurant. He also worked in a motel in
> Kentucky and in a Subway sandwich shop.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yitang_Zhang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yitang_Zhang)

(UNH is ranked #108 in math nationwide.) I highly recommend that article in
_Quanta_ :

[http://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20130519-unheralded-m...](http://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20130519-unheralded-
mathematician-bridges-the-prime-gap/)

~~~
basugasubaku
His advisor's memoir is also interesting:

"So after Yitang graduated, I told him the normal way of seeking jobs. When I
looked into his eyes, I found a disturbing soul, a burning bush, an explorer
who wanted to reach the north pole, a mountaineer who determined to scale Mt.
Everest, and a traveler who would brave thunders and lightnings to reach his
destination. Yitang never came back to me requesting recommendation letters.
Apparently, he did not seek a job. Even to the date Yitang announced his
monumental result I did not know what was the best for him. Though I was sure
of one thing, − he could not survive the life of “tenure-track,” “tenure,” and
“promotions”. It was not his type. I regarded him as a free spirit, and I
should let him fly."

[http://www.math.purdue.edu/~ttm/ZhangYt.pdf](http://www.math.purdue.edu/~ttm/ZhangYt.pdf)

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codemac
You know academics is a bit fucked when someone being anointed a MacArthur
fellow was a "lecturer" at UNH from 1999 until being promoted to "professor"
in January of 2014! The plus side being someone like Mr. Zhang gets to stay
working on interesting academic problems.

I know several people getting their PhD, lecturing, and assistent professors..
but I only know one person on a tenure "track" and they want desperately to
quit. We as a society have got to figure out how to incept public research
institutions.

~~~
shas3
Yitang Zhang is an outlier in that sense, like Alexander Grothendick and
Grigori Perelman. Many other great mathematicians, like Terence Tao, Timothy
Gowers, etc. and even some working on 'big problems' like Andrew Wiles are in
stable academic jobs. If his own words [1] are anything to go by, Zhang's
situation is probably due to his adviser's unwillingness or inability to
recommend him for good academic positions.

[1] [http://nautil.us/issue/5/fame/the-twin-prime-
hero](http://nautil.us/issue/5/fame/the-twin-prime-hero)

~~~
cma
Andrew Wiles had to do all the work in secret while releasing old papers as a
cover.

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matthewwiese
I love that articles relevant in mathematics gets posted to HN, it just makes
me giddy.

Also, that note on a possible application in crypto makes sense to my amateur
brain.

~~~
glifchits
The article that got to me first was from ABC news
([http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/2014-macarthur-genius-
gra...](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/2014-macarthur-genius-grant-
winners-unveiled-25555604)).

Making only a sidenote that the group of recipients includes a mathematician,
they also say "Most winners are not widely known outside their fields ..." I
thought Zhang deserves a bit more recognition than this, especially since his
rise from "relative obscurity" is pretty unique.

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ww520
Pure math is interesting. The research topics are often out of the left field
and have no bearing on any current application. How do people pick research
topics that can't be seen useful for a long time?

Kudos to Zhang for his perseverance.

~~~
valarauca1
Its not so much about the solution being useful, its more about finding out if
the solution exists. Its sort of a self challenge, like a mental marathon.
Generally speaking there isn't much need for you to run 26 miles, let alone do
it very fast.

But you do it, for the challenge, the learning, and to grow as a person.
Because the finish line isn't why your running, your running because you like
running.

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ausjke
I read this a while ago but am happy to find new links in this post, what a
great story! Printed it out for my kids to read too.

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mgulaid
What an inspiring story...

