菲尔兹奖得主、南方科技大学教授埃菲·杰曼诺夫： “APEC选择深圳是非常正确的决定”

早上不到8点，菲尔兹奖得主、南方科技大学教授埃菲·杰曼诺夫的办公室已经亮起了灯。这位70多岁的世界著名数学大师，保持着比绝大多数年轻人更长的工作时间——每天超过10小时。他笑着说：“我工作的时候感觉很舒服，完全没法想象自己闲坐在家看电视的生活。”

埃菲·杰曼诺夫 深圳报业集团记者 李剑文 摄 Efim Zelmanov Li Jianwen, Shenzhen News Group

四年前决定加盟南科大时，杰曼诺夫给出的答案很简单：“加州大学就像一艘庞大的航船按部就班前进，我个人能做的微乎其微。但在南科大，我可以创造改变。”如今他比在美国时忙三倍：“这就是深圳速度。我从未后悔加入南科大，一秒钟都没有。”

“深圳给的科研支持力度最大”

杰曼诺夫的办公室位于南科大台州楼的杰曼诺夫数学中心，这里的墙上到处嵌着黑板，密密麻麻写满了公式。办公桌上，除了从校长薛其坤手中接过的聘任证书，还有一沓手稿。“我去过世界上很多大学，这里给的科研支持力度是最大的。”杰曼诺夫强调，这种支持不是口头上的，而是实实在在落地的。

“在深圳，无论是政府机构还是南科大都十分关心中心工作。过去这几年，我提出的合理需求，从来没有被拒绝过。”这种支持力度让杰曼诺夫逐渐改变了“每年只在深圳待几个月”的想法。“我要全职加入。”他说，“不管我人在哪里，我的心都留在了这里。”

中心成立以来，引进了不少国际一流数学家和访问教授。目前，中心设基础数学、计算数学、概率统计三个研究室，组建了李代数、群表示论、拓扑几何、分析与PDE、计算数学、概率统计等多个研究团队，截至2025年12月，发表论文460余篇（收录于SCI期刊论文共420篇）。

“对于推动深圳发展，我们目标一致。”杰曼诺夫表示，“我们正在努力把深圳做成一个数学枢纽，把这座城市标注到世界数学的版图上。”

“数学公式背后是活生生的人”

在南科大本科生中间，杰曼诺夫的“特种兵教学法”是一个传奇：每个学生要经历30分钟的一对一答辩式考核。

为什么要这样做？杰曼诺夫说：“面对面交流，我能直观了解到学生会什么、不会什么，也能看清他们是怎样的人，这些是我从书面考试里看不到的。”当被问及自己是外向型（E人）还是内向型（I人）时，杰曼诺夫笑着说：“从性格上来说，我是个I人，但在数学研究领域，我绝对是E人，我比大多数数学家都E。”

有意思的是，这位数学大师并不打算在大学里守株待兔。在他的日程表上，有一项固定安排：定期走进高中校园。“广东不断有新大学成立，这就需要更多关注高中生。”他说，“因为这些学生未来或许就是南科大的生源，所以，我们需要在他们入学前就开始接触。”

“南科大是成长在深圳的一所年轻的小而精大学，正朝着成为全球顶尖大学努力。科研生态里，最关键的部分就是顶尖大学。顶尖大学能吸引优秀学生，他们毕业后会留下，为城市添砖加瓦。”杰曼诺夫说。

“AI给数学家创造工作岗位”

“我不认为AI会让数学家丢掉工作。恰恰相反，AI在给数学家创造工作岗位。”面对人工智能的浪潮，杰曼诺夫保持冷静。AI是很棒的工具，自己现在也常用，但“替代数学家？绝不可能”。

“人工智能算法持续迭代，但永远建立在基础理论之上。AI可以整合全网的知识，却无法做到深度理解，而社会发展需要读懂底层逻辑，坚守学科根本。”杰曼诺夫说。

他借用一个数学概念来形容南科大的发展：“数学里有个重要参数——‘导数’，用来衡量变化率。我们现在的绝对值确实比一些老牌大学小，但我们的导数更高，发展速度更快，这是一个非常重要的参数。”

谈及即将在深圳举办的APEC会议时，杰曼诺夫认为选择深圳是非常正确的决定。“深圳在清洁能源、智能经济、科技企业等领域有领先成果，给世界留下了深刻印象。我相信参会代表们也能像我一样，感受到深圳的活力。数学中心成立的目标是推进国际合作，目前我们与不少国家展开了深度合作，通过APEC，能吸引更多优秀人才。”

对于科研路上的年轻人，他给出两条建议：一是学会独立决策，“充分听取所有好的建议，但最终要自己做决定，对自己负责”；二是敢于走新路，“我们这代人给下一代留下了很多没有解决的问题，想要解决这些问题，年轻学者必须要用不一样的方法。”

Efim Zelmanov, Fields Medalist and professor at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)

APEC’s choice of Shenzhen is optimal

Mathematics serves as the core force driving human civilization and the primary lever for modern science and technology. For Efim Zelmanov, Fields Medalist and professor at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), it is also a full-time passion.

His office on the SUSTech campus is often lit before 8 a.m. Even in his 70s, the world-renowned mathematician maintains a demanding schedule, working more than 10 hours a day. “I feel comfortable when I work,” he said with a smile. “I cannot imagine a retired life sitting at home watching TV.”

Zelmanov’s decision to leave the University of California (UC) for SUSTech four years ago was driven by a desire for impact. He likens UC to a massive ship moving on a fixed course, while SUSTech offers him the chance to create change personally. Today, he is three times busier than he was in the U.S. “That’s Shenzhen speed,” he said. “I have never regretted joining SUSTech — not for a single second.”

His office at the SUSTech International Center for Mathematics features walls lined with blackboards covered in formulas and desks stacked with handwritten manuscripts. While he has visited many institutions around the world, he noted that the research support in Shenzhen is the strongest he has ever encountered. This deep commitment from both the university and government agencies transformed his initial plan of short annual visits into full-time dedication.

Under Zelmanov’s leadership, the center has recruited world-class talent and established divisions in pure mathematics, computational mathematics, and probability. By December 2025, the center had published over 460 papers, with a clear mission to place Shenzhen on the world’s mathematical map.

Zelmanov is also known for his legendary teaching style, requiring 30-minute one-on-one oral exams for undergraduates to truly gauge their understanding and character.

Though he describes himself as an introvert by nature, he considers himself an extrovert in the realm of mathematical research.

Beyond campus, Zelmanov regularly visits local high schools to engage with future scholars. “With many new universities emerging across Guangdong, it is vital that we focus on high school students,” he stated. “We must connect with these students — potential future recruits for SUSTech — well before they begin enrollment.”

Zelmanov regards top-tier universities as the heart of a research ecosystem that attracts and retains talent for the city. “While SUSTech is young, it is an excellent institution striving for global prominence,” he said. “Such universities draw exceptional students who, after graduation, can stay and contribute to the city’s growth and innovation.”

Despite the rise of AI, Zelmanov remains unfazed, asserting that while AI is a powerful tool, it will never replace mathematicians. Instead, he believes AI is creating more jobs for the field, as algorithms will always require the deep understanding and foundational theories that only human logic can provide.

To describe SUSTech’s trajectory, he turns to a mathematical metaphor: the derivative. “Our absolute value — our size and history — may be smaller than that of established universities, but our derivative, the rate of change, is higher. That is our most important parameter.”

As Shenzhen prepares to host the APEC meeting, Zelmanov sees the city as the perfect choice, given its leadership in clean energy, the smart economy, and technology. He hopes the event will foster the international cooperation that his center strives to advance.

To the next generation, he offers two pieces of advice: learn to make independent decisions and have the courage to forge new paths to solve the problems his generation has left behind.

“Listen to all good advice, but ultimately make your own decision and take responsibility for yourself,” he said. “Our generation has left many unsolved problems for the next. To solve them, young scholars must use different approaches.”

秘鲁利马武器广场的大教堂。（视觉中国） The Cathedral of Lima at the Plaza de Armas in Lima, Peru. VCG

第十六站：秘鲁利马

亚太经合组织第十六次领导人非正式会议于2008年11月22日至23日在秘鲁利马举行，会议主题为“亚太发展的新承诺”。会议分为两个阶段，重点讨论国际金融危机应对、粮食能源安全等议题。会议通过《领导人关于全球经济的声明》，承诺反对保护主义并采取协调行动应对金融危机，支持国际金融机构改革和世贸组织多哈回合谈判。会议签署《利马宣言》，明确18个月内克服金融危机的目标。

利马是秘鲁共和国首都。位于利马河畔，东接安第斯山麓，西连太平洋沿岸的外港卡亚俄，里马克河流经利马北部。西班牙语是其官方语言，1535年西班牙征服者弗朗西斯科·皮萨罗正式建立利马城，命名为“诸王之城”。利马市气候属于典型的热带沙漠气候，受秘鲁洋流和安第斯山脉阻挡影响，终年温和少雨，素有“无雨之都”的称号。

16th Stop: Lima, Peru

The 16th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting took place in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 22–23, 2008. Under the theme “A New Commitment to Asia-Pacific Development,” leaders addressed the international financial crisis as well as food and energy security. They pledged to oppose protectionism, reform international financial institutions, and overcome the economic crisis within 18 months.

Lima, the capital of Peru, sits along the Rímac River between the Andean foothills and the Pacific port of Callao. Founded in 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro as the “City of the Kings,” this Spanish‑speaking metropolis is known as the “City Without Rain.” Due to the Humboldt Current and the rain‑shadow effect of the Andes, Lima experiences a mild tropical desert climate and receives almost no rainfall annually.

马丘比丘（视觉中国） View of Machu Picchu.VCG

马丘比丘与纳斯卡线条

纳斯卡线条是位于秘鲁南部纳斯卡沙漠的大型地画群，由古纳斯卡人制作，部分形成时间最早可追溯至公元前400年，主要形成于公元1世纪左右。该遗址分布在约500平方公里的干旱高原上，包含直线、几何图形及动物、植物等巨型图案，最长图案达300米，通过刮除地表深色岩层形成浅色线条构成。1939年由科学家保罗·科索克在飞行中发现，1994年以约30个已知地画被列为世界文化遗产。

马丘比丘位于秘鲁共和国库斯科省西北，整个遗址高耸在海拔约2350米的山脊上，是印加帝国在15世纪建造的遗迹，也是世界新七大奇迹之一。马丘比丘被称作“失落的印加城市”，是保存完好的前哥伦布时期的印加遗迹，1983年马丘比丘古神庙被联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会批准作为文化/自然双重遗产列入《世界遗产名录》。

Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu

The Nazca Lines are a vast collection of ancient geoglyphs etched into the Nazca Desert of Peru. Created by the Nazca culture, some of these figures date back to 400 BCE, though most were formed around the 1st century CE. Covering 500 square kilometers, the site features straight lines, geometric patterns, and colossal depictions of animals and plants, with some designs reaching up to 300 meters in length. These geoglyphs were crafted by scraping away dark surface stones to reveal the lighter soil beneath. Discovered by scientist Paul Kosok in 1939, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Machu Picchu, located in Peru’s Cusco Province, perches on a ridge 2,350 meters above sea level. Built by the Incas in the 15th century, this “Lost City of the Incas” is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a remarkably well-preserved pre-Columbian site. In 1983, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

编辑 白珊珊 审读 卓晶 二审 周梦璇 三审 詹婉容