PhD graduate Melbourne's youngest at 21

A former New Zealand student has become the youngest PhD graduate at Melbourne University, at the age of 21.

Yao-ban Chan started work on his undergraduate degree at the age of 10 while he was being home-schooled.

Mr Chan moved to Melbourne from New Zealand when he was 16.

"I always liked maths, I always found it fun," Mr Chan told The Age newspaper.

He was born in Malaysia and raised in New Zealand and was largely home-schooled by his mother Peck-Woon, a microbiologist, and father George, a director with Heinz.

He completed his bachelor of information science by correspondence in six years.

Despite his precociousness, Mr Chan said he had a balanced life, including a diploma in piano performance from a London school.

"I worked maybe 25 to 30 hours a week (on the PhD). I practise piano, I play computer games, I read, I play table tennis."

His sister Yi-shuen, 23, who was also home-schooled, has degrees in maths and music and is studying for her masters in the pipe organ.

Mr Chan is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow on a statistical method to identify protein anomalies in the brain, with a view to diagnosing schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

- NZPA