On July 15, Wuhan University (WHU) President Zhang Pingwen met with Sir John Ball, Fellow of the Royal Society, to discuss the development of the mathematics department and deepen international collaboration.

WHU President Zhang Pingwen (right) meets with Sir John Ball, Fellow of the Royal Society.

Zhang welcomed Sir John Ball and his delegation, highlighting WHU's broad academic strengths and rich heritage. He expressed hopes to utilize this meeting to advance cooperation and accelerate the university's growth. Sir John Ball thanked the university for the invitation, praised the recent achievements of its mathematics program, and looked forward to future partnerships.

After the meeting, Sir John Ball delivered the 505th Luojia Lecture, explaining the mathematical principles of phase transitions in metals and recent progress in material microstructure research. He also engaged with faculty and students on multiscale modeling and AI applications in materials science.

Sir John Ball delivers a speech at the 505th Luojia Lecture.

Sir John Ball, a professor at the University of Oxford, has held key roles including president of the International Mathematical Union and chair of the Fields Medal Committee. He was knighted in 2006 and specializes in calculus of variations and nonlinear mechanics.

Officials from the Office of International Affairs and Institute for Mathematics and AI attended the meeting.