Xiaowen Zhu and Haoyang Guo join School of Mathematics faculty

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (9/5/2025) Dr. Xiaowen Zhu and Dr. Haoyang Guo have joined the School of Mathematics as Assistant Professors. Zhu and Guo come to the University of Minnesota as tenure-track faculty starting in the 2025-26 academic year. 

Xiaowen Zhu comes to UMN with a background in mathematical physics. She completed her undergraduate studies at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China in 2016. She then went on to earn a PhD in Mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, under the advisement of Svetlana Jitomirskaya. Before coming to Minnesota, she was a postdoctoral scholar with Alexis Drouot at the University of Washington.

Her research focuses on the mathematical foundations of materials arising in condensed matter physics including topological insulators, localization for random/ergodic Schrodinger operators and moiré materials. “Unusual physical phenomena, in my point of view, frequently reveal profound underlying mathematical structures." Zhu says. “To me, the most exciting part of my research is to gradually uncover these elegant structures using various mathematical tools ranging from functional analysis, spectral theory, to dynamical systems, semiclassical analysis.”

As she gets settled in Minnesota, Zhu is looking forward to getting involved in the mathematical physics research community among the UMN faculty. “I’m most looking forward to the opportunity to explore research topics that truly excite me, both those I have already worked on and new directions that may emerge through interactions with the math physics group at UMN,” she says. “I’m also excited to become part of the UMN community, contribute to its collaborative environment, and engage with colleagues and students.”

In both her teaching and outreach efforts, Zhu aims to build supportive, rigorous environments where all students can thrive. “I value active learning and mentorship, and I strive to make advanced topics accessible through careful guidance and enthusiastic engagement,” she says. “I've worked in math circles in the past and am interested in contributing to outreach programs such as UMTYMP at UMN as well!”

When she’s not working, Zhu enjoys all kinds of physical, fast-paced activities that demand quick reactions and strong concentration. She’s enthusiastic about table tennis and line dancing, and hopes to explore snowboarding, tennis, and basketball in the future. “I hope to revive the UMN table tennis club, which once thrived but was disrupted during COVID,” she says. She is also looking forward to experiencing Minnesota itself – “the natural beauty, the outdoor activities, and all that the state has to offer, probably kayaking and cross-country skiing!”

If you’d like to connect with Prof. Zhu, you can email her at [email protected].

Haoyang Guo joins the UMN community from Chicago, where he was an L.E. Dickson instructor at the University of Chicago from 2023 to 2025. Before that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik in Germany. He completed his doctoral studies in mathematics at the University of Michigan in 2021 under the advisement of Bhargav Bhatt, and his undergraduate studies in 2016 at the University of Science & Technology of China. Guo’s core research interests include algebraic geometry and number theory, especially p-adic geometry and p-adic Hodge theory.

“I am working on arithmetic geometry, an interdisciplinary field combining algebraic number theory and algebraic geometry, together with growing involvement of algebraic topology and homotopy theory,” Guo says. His focus centers around p-adic geometry, considering the geometry of the solution set of an algebraic equation, like x^2+y^2=1, but with (x,y) being ‘p-adic numbers’ – a number system that plays an essential role in the number theory. “Many of my works aim to understand the interplay of algebraic invariants of those geometric objects,” Guo says. “Another theme of my works is to develop the p-adic analogues of constructions from classical real or complex geometry.”

When he thinks about what he’s most looking forward to in this new chapter of his career, Guo says he’s excited to get involved in the School of Mathematics’ collaborative research environment. “I am really excited to contribute to the department's continued strength in algebra, geometry, number theory and topology, and I look forward to the many potential collaborations in this active environment with researchers of diverse interests and backgrounds,” he says. Guo is also looking forward to being in the classroom. “Passing my enthusiasm of mathematics to the younger generation has been the most central part of my teaching philosophy, ever since I taught my very first math class 8 years ago,” he says. “I am excited to continue this mission. I am in particular eager to try teaching new topics that I have not taught before.”

When he’s not on campus, Guo likes to watch tennis and go birding with his family. He says he’s looking for birding sites in the Twin Cities area to try – if you have a recommendation (or want to chat about arithmetic geometry), send him an email at [email protected].