Zihan Yan

[ RECENT NEWS ]

NEW 2026

🚀

Transitioning to AI Research

I am currently transitioning from a theoretical physicist into an AI researcher. My background in maths and physics — from black hole entropy to differential geometry — now informs my approach to understanding intelligence, learning dynamics, and scientific discovery through the lens of AI.

PHYSICS Summer 2026

🎓

PhD Completion Expected

Thesis defense passed. Degree conferral expected summer 2026. Thesis: Thermodynamics of Non-Stationary Black Holes in Diffeomorphism Invariant Theories.

PAPER 2026

📄

New Publication in JHEP

"Dynamical entropy of charged black objects" — with M. R. Visser. JHEP vol. 02, p. 003, 2026. arXiv:2510.20747

[ ABOUT ]

zihan@cambridge:~$

$ whoami

Zihan Yan — Theoretical Physicist & AI Researcher

$ cat about.txt

I am Zihan Yan (闫子涵), a final-year PhD candidate reading Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics at DAMTP & Trinity College, University of Cambridge, supervised by Prof. Aron C. Wall. Before that, I completed my BA and MMath at Trinity College, Cambridge, as well.

My PhD research lives at the intersection of black hole thermodynamics, holography and quantum gravity.

$ cat interests.txt

physics / mathematics / AI research / piano / 🐱 cats

$ cat legacy_site.txt

Old personal site containing teaching and notes from undergrad.

https://zihanyan.wordpress.com/

$ _█

INSTITUTION University of Cambridge

EMAIL zy286 [at] cam [dot] ac [dot] uk

ORCID 0000-0003-2998-7040

PAPERS 8

TALKS 20+

CATS ∞

// ACADEMIC INTERESTS

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

→ Scientific discovery by AI
→ AI imagination & curiosity
→ Statistical physics underlying scaling laws
→ Learning dynamics & emergence

⚛️ Theoretical Physics

→ Black hole thermodynamics
→ Holographic principle
→ Quantum gravity

📐 Mathematics

→ Differential geometry
→ Algebraic topology

UNIFIED BY: ENTROPY & EMERGENCE

// EDUCATION

PhD — Applied Maths & Theoretical Physics

DAMTP & Trinity College, University of Cambridge

Supervisor: Aron C. Wall

Defense passed, conferral expected summer 2026

MMath in Mathematics

Trinity College, Cambridge

Distinction (86%)

BA Natural Sciences (Physics)

Trinity College, Cambridge

First Class

[ RESEARCH ]

BLACK HOLE

entropy is increasing...

dS/dv ≥ 0

Black Hole Thermodynamics

Dynamical entropy of non-stationary black holes in diffeomorphism-invariant theories. Proving the second law for higher-curvature gravity.

Papers: [1][5][8]

Gravitational Focusing

Generalised focusing theorems and dynamical horizon entropy for bosonic fields in diffeomorphism-invariant theories.

Papers: [2][3]

Low-Energy EFT of String Theory

Gibbons-Hawking-York boundary terms from string worldsheets. Black hole singularity resolution via string theory.

Papers: [4][7]

AI × Gravity

Machine learning applied to discover dynamical black hole entropy formulae in general theories of gravity.

Forthcoming

Quantum Energy Conditions

Proofs of the Quantum Dominant Energy Condition.

Forthcoming

Fluid Dynamics

Thin-film flows over slippery fluid-saturated substrates. Basal sliding of ice sheets — a controllable sliding law.

Paper: [6]

[ PUBLICATIONS ]

[ CONTACT ]

zihan@cambridge — bash

$ cat contact_info.txt

📧 zy286 [at] cam [dot] ac [dot] uk

🐦 X / Twitter: @physicscat0x7d

📍 Trinity College, Cambridge CB2 1TQ

🔗 ORCID: 0000-0003-2998-7040

$ cat reference.txt

References available on request.