During the last week of March, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) President Chen Shiyi visited Monash University, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and the University of Queensland to deepen its partnership with these famous Australian universities.
During the visit, President Chen Shiyi signed three agreements and visited SUSTech students studying in Australia. Vice Provost (Global Strategies) Zheng Chunmiao and Graduate School Associate Dean Yang Shuanghua accompanied President Chen Shiyi on the visit.
Monash University
Monash University welcomed President Chen Shiyi on March 25th. Marc Parlange, Provost and Senior Vice-President at Monash was joined by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Abid Khan, Dean Elizabeth Croft of the Faculty of Engineering and Vice Provost (Faculty and Graduate Affairs) Matthew Gillespie.
Provost Marc Parlange welcomed President Chen Shiyi and briefed him about education and scientific research at Monash University. Monash University looked forward to discussing the establishment of a full range of interdisciplinary cooperation with SUSTech. Provost Marc Parlange hoped that both universities would develop a deep friendship just like the positive relationship he had with President Chen while they worked together at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
Monash University and SUSTech signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to promote academic exchanges and cooperation in areas such as undergraduate and postgraduate education and scientific research cooperation. Following the discussion, the delegation visited Monash University’s Electron Microscopy Center, the immersive visualization facility (CAVE2) and the Additive Manufacturing Center.
Seminar
On March 26th, President Chen Shiyi organized a seminar to promote SUSTech’s talent pipeline in Sydney. The seminar introduced SUSTech and its talent policy. More than 20 experts and scholars from the University of Sydney (USyd) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) along with SUSTech students partaking in short-term exchange programs at USyd participated in the seminar. The experts and scholars were surprised at SUSTech’s rapid development and hoped to visit SUSTech in the future.
University of Technology Sydney
March 27th saw Chen Shiyi visit UTS. Vice-chancellor and President Attila Brungs, Vice-chancellor (International Affairs) Iain Watt, Deputy Vice-chancellor (Research) Kate McGrath, Director of Research and Innovation Office Martin Lloyd, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) Ian Burnett, and Dean of the UTS Graduate School Lori Lockyer joined the meeting.
President Attila Brungs welcomed President Chen Shiyi and the delegation. He talked about the scientific research and education at UTS, as well as its international cooperation. He said that since his visit to SUSTech in December 2016 and the signing of the cooperation agreement, they have frequently interacted in research and education. There have been many positive results, particularly in scientific research and training of doctoral students. President Attila Brungs hoped to have more collaboration with SUSTech.
During the meeting, a framework agreement was signed for further scientific cooperation. The agreement aimed to promote international cooperation in scientific research, while supporting collaboration in biomedical materials and devices. It also sought to explore the establishment of joint research institutes related to biomedical materials and devices at both universities.
President Chen Shiyi visited Centre for Autonomous Systems (CAS), Data Arena and the UTS Institute for Biomedical Materials and Devices before the meeting. He also talked to SUSTech students who are participating in a joint doctoral training program.
University of New South Wales
On the afternoon of March 27, President Chen Shiyi went to the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) and met with Scientia Professor Zhang Liangchi, a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. They visited the Laboratory for Precision and Nano Processing Technologies and discussed possible cooperation in related disciplines.
University of Queensland
On March 28, Chen Shiyi was invited to visit the University of Queensland (UQ). President and Vice-chancellor Peter Høj, Vice-President and Deputy Vice-chancellor (External Engagement) Li Rongyu, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology Vicki Chen, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science Melissa Brown, Director of the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Alan Rowan, and Director of the Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education Julian Wilson attended the meeting. Several other senior leaders from UQ were also in attendance at the meeting with the SUSTech delegation.
President Peter Høj welcomed President Chen Shiyi to UQ. He said UQ had firmly maintained the exchange of visits and cooperation with SUSTech since July 2015, resulting in productive and positive results. It was the second meeting for the two presidents, following the participation of President Peter Høj in the 2018 meeting of the International Advisory Council (IAC) in Shenzhen in November. They signed a cooperation agreement around brain science. The agreement aims to promote the establishment of a joint neuroscience research laboratory to establish an advanced research program with a focus on neural bio-engineering. This is another important outcome of cooperation since the cooperation agreement in October 2016.
Following the meeting, President Chen Shiyi visited SUSTech students at UQ who are participating in the joint doctoral training program and undergraduate joint training program.
