These proactive efforts were recognized by students. In a post about Tang's performance as the college's second president on Zhihu, a popular Chinese Q&A online platform, a student who graduated last year wrote that he has always been eager to see the school recruit more top scientists and is happy that Tang made it happen.

In the long term, the university will also serve the development needs of Zhuhai, which is transforming from a traditional manufacturing base to an emerging tech hub, Tang said.

During Zhuhai's first international talent communication conference in late November, Tang was named one of the top 10 talent in Zhuhai alongside Dong Mingzhu, chairwoman of Zhuhai-based Gree Electric, a home-appliance maker.

Delivering a speech at the event, Tang said the destinies of universities and the cities they are based in are closely connected. As a major scientific institution in Zhuhai, the school is obliged, and also willing to grow with Zhuhai, to play a greater role in Bay Area development, he said.

An expert in finding the solutions to math problems, Tang is as steadfast on a quest for a non-math solution to lead the school he helped build.