Exovera’s report, Western Trained Topologists Serving China: Ma Xiaonan, is the first in a series profiling topologists recruited by China to advance its AI and dual-use technology goals. This installment focuses on Ma Xiaonan, a leading expert in differential geometry and topology, who returned to China in November 2024 to serve as chair professor at Nankai University’s Chern Institute of Mathematics (CIM). After nearly two decades at the University of Paris, Ma brings deep expertise in the Atiyah-Singer index theorem and its applications—fields increasingly relevant to AI, protein modeling, and national defense.
The report frames Ma’s return within China’s broader efforts to cultivate mathematical talent through overseas recruitment and strategic academic partnerships. It highlights Ma’s long-standing collaboration with CIM director Zhang Weiping and his participation in high-level theoretical work on Bergman kernels and η-invariants. The report also notes CIM’s connections to PLA-affiliated institutions and government support, underscoring the dual-use potential of this mathematical research.
