Shiing-shen Chern (Chen Xingshen), a world-renowned overseas Chinese mathematician, 93, died of illness at his home at Nankai University in north China's Tianjin Municipality at around 7:15 p.m. Friday, the university announced.

Chern, a US citizen, is best known for his achievements in the study of differential geometry. He was born in 1911 in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, east China. He graduated from Nankai University in 1930 and received further education at Qinghua University and the University of Hamburg in Germany.

He taught at several Chinese and US universities -- including Princeton University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California, Berkeley -- and is the only Chinese to win the Wolf Prize -- the most distinguished award in the international mathematics field.

The International Astronomical Union officially named asteroid No. 1998CS2 after the noted mathematician in November for his outstanding contributions to human society.

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2004)