Wei Dongyi, two-time IMO gold medalist, sparks discussion over academic income

Wei Dongyi, a renowned Chinese mathematics prodigy known as ‘Wei Shen’ online, has drawn public attention regarding his career and income. In 2008 and 2009, Wei achieved back-to-back gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) with perfect scores, a feat unmatched in China.

Following his success, he was admitted directly to Peking University, where he completed his master's and doctoral degrees specializing in partial differential equations and analytic geometry. After conducting postdoctoral research at the Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research, he was appointed as an assistant professor at Peking University in late 2019.

Public discussion has recently focused on his compensation. Reports suggest his basic monthly salary as an assistant professor was approximately 12,000 NDT, with an annual total including bonuses estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 NDT. This has sparked debate online regarding the salary gap between academic roles and the private technology sector.