Chenchang Zhu, Inaugural CRM–María de Maeztu Chair of Excellence

The Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM) is proud to announce the appointment of Professor Chenchang Zhu (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) as the first María de Maeztu Chair of Excellence, a distinction that recognises world-leading women mathematicians whose work aligns with the strategic priorities of CRM.

The CRM–MdM Chair of Excellence, funded through the María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence (2022–2025), is a newly created initiative aimed at hosting 1–2 senior women mathematicians or computer scientists annually for short stays of up to four months. The program seeks to foster collaboration with inspiring role models in mathematics and to build enduring scientific connections with international leaders.

Professor Zhu’s appointment formally began on April 9, 2025, with an inaugural colloquium titled Higher Structures in Symplectic Geometry: A Journey from Galileo to Weinstein. In this lecture, she traced a conceptual arc from Galileo’s early insight into the brachistochrone problem to modern symplectic geometry and its deep interplay with quantum theory. The talk introduced the language of higher and derived structures, inspired by Grothendieck’s derived geometry, as tools to tackle singularities in geometric reduction and explore new frontiers in mathematical physics.

Professor Chenchang Zhu delivers the inaugural CRM–María de Maeztu Chair of Excellence Colloquium, held on April 9, 2025, at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica. Her lecture, “Higher Structures in Symplectic Geometry,” marked the beginning of her stay as the first holder of this appointment.

Drawing from the philosophical perspective of her advisor Alan Weinstein, who once said “everything is Lagrangian”, Zhu presented a vision of differential geometry that incorporates modern homotopical tools, from Lie groupoids and NQ-manifolds to shifted symplectic structures. These ideas, she argued, may be essential for understanding the mathematical underpinnings of topological quantum field theories and sigma models, owing to the fundamental 3+1-dimensional nature of our universe.

While this is her first formal collaboration with CRM researchers, Zhu is no stranger to the CRM. She previously played a role in the Intensive Research Programme Poisson 2022, where she chaired the scientific committee of the advanced school alongside Eva Miranda, who served as local chair. “The collaboration was amazing,” Zhu recalls. “Eva self-generated so many things, it turned the event into an absolute fantasy. Through that, I began discovering the charming, concrete work of many Spanish colleagues in higher geometry.”

Her research interests, spanning higher and derived differential geometry, Poisson and symplectic structures, and their connections to mathematical physics, are the result of a deeply personal and intellectually curious journey. She credits a pivotal moment to a conversation with Alan Weinstein, who drew her attention to the topological groupoid constructed by Crainic and Fernandes for integrating Lie algebroids. “Alan suspected there should be some differential structure behind it,” Zhu recounts. “I had just attended Barbara Fantechi’s course on algebraic stacks in Park City, and it suddenly struck me that maybe this structure should be a stack, though adapted to differential geometry. I didn’t understand stacks yet, but the spark was there.” A subsequent encounter with Kai Behrend at the ICM 2002 in Beijing proved transformative: “That’s when things clicked. It was the first time I really saw how these higher structures could solve actual problems.”

Zhu’s career has been marked by a global academic trajectory, with formative periods in China, the United States, Switzerland, France, and Germany. This multicultural experience has shaped not only her mathematics but also her collaborative ethos. “It helps you become more open and understanding,” she says. “Different systems have different strengths, and you learn to navigate and appreciate those differences.”

She also brings a thoughtful perspective on gender equity in mathematics. “Things have improved a lot,” she notes. “When I was starting, France was already better, it had around 20% women in mathematics. Now, our institute in Göttingen has reached parity.” But she also emphasises the importance of integrating family support into institutional policies. As a single mother, she has faced logistical hurdles when travelling for work: “You still have to justify travelling with your child, or explain why you need an extra day. These should be obvious considerations.”

Programs like the CRM–MdM Chair of Excellence, she believes, play a role in fostering equity. “They’re more than symbolic. They send a message of recognition and trust. They give visibility and encouragement to the kind of work that often happens quietly; foundational, long-term, and connecting different communities.”

Reflecting on what this recognition means at this stage in her career, Zhu speaks with warmth and clarity: “It’s a moment of deep encouragement. It affirms the work I care about: the bridges between ideas, the invisible efforts, and the interdisciplinary visions. It gives me the confidence to keep pushing boundaries and reminds me that staying true to one’s path, even when it’s unconventional, matters. It feels like an invitation to dream a bit bolder.”

Her inaugural colloquium is available to watch on the CRM YouTube channel, offering a window into the vibrant intellectual landscape she continues to shape.

You can watch our interview with her in the video below.