Reported by: Zhang Yan
Photographed by: Feng Jian
Translated by: Zhang Guangju
Edited by: Garrick Jones
In the afternoon of October 14, President Zhou Yu and his group pay research visits to Huang Zhiwei Young Scientist Studio and Gao Huijun Young Scientist Studio respectively to listen to them discuss their studio work reports and other developing projects. He also exchanges views with studio workers on studio operating mechanism, talents team construction, frontier academic exploration and other topics.
In 2014, HIT started to implement the system of “Young Scientist Studio” and first established two young scientist studios, directed by Professor Huang Zhiwei and Professor Gao Huijun. Each studio is provided by the university with a fund of 10 million yuan which is a guarantee for its future major fundamental and innovative projects. After being operated for over two years, the two studios have made remarkable achievements. Professor Huang Zhiwei and his team solved the problem which had hindered HIV study for over 30 years, and their research finding has been published in the journal Nature. Professor Gao Huijun was elected as one of “the 17 most influential scientists of 2014”, among whom he is the only Chinese scholar.
Zhou Yu listens to the reports of Professor Huang and Professor Gao on research progress, talent cultivation, team construction, international influence, developing outlook and other aspects of their two studios and he makes affirmative comments on their prior achievements. Together with key team members, President Zhou held in-depth exchanges with Professor Frank, Professor Okaikenaka on the direction of the teams’ academic development, the implementation of P.I. (principal investigator) research management and other issues. Professor Frank and Professor Okaikenaka are experts in Professor Gao Huijun’s studio who are involved in the “Recruitment Program for Foreign Experts”.
President Zhou Yu points out that the original intention of implementing the young scientist studio system is to provide guarantees for promising young talents to work on significant and fundamental innovations in a relaxed and free research environment. The two studios have both made landmark achievements in their own areas, and have conducted appropriate explorations on operation mechanisms and management modes in actual operations of their studios. In the next stage of the two studios’ development, they are expected to continue to be bold in innovation, to challenge the frontier of science, and pursue greatness constantly. In choosing research subjects and planning academic directions, studio researchers should develop their research for scientific value instead of merely publishing papers. The criteria in selecting talents and promoting their professional titles should be set by their participation in frontier areas and their research potential, but not by the so-called “titles” which hinders the growth of young talents. We should pay more attention to the training of those young talents, be tolerant of their failures so that they can make progress and take root in this relaxed academic environment of HIT. President Zhou Yu says that HIT will continue to provide the best support for the studios in talents recruitment, in promoting professional titles, in resource distribution and in guaranteeing research conditions, and he hopes that the two studios will actively take international operation mechanisms and management modes for reference, and make more significant innovation achievements.
Vice President An Shi, Vice President Xu Dianguo, directors of Personnel Department, Undergraduate School, Academic Office, School of Science and Industrial Technology and State-owned Assets Management Department, etc. also attended.
Research site
