Talent is the driving force for scientific and technological innovation. In 2020, the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) celebrated its 10th anniversary. It was also an important year for the University to seize opportunities and expedite the process of developing it into a world-class university. In the past decade, SUSTech has attached great importance to talent cultivation and put a human resource management system in place that has acquired a high-level of international faculty members.
SUSTech won Shenzhen Outstanding Talent Scout Award for the fifth time
In November 2020, the Award Ceremony for the Shenzhen Scout Prize was held, where SUSTech won its fifth consecutive “Outstanding Talent Scout Award”, along with a prize fund of 3.75 million RMB. Furthermore, in 2020, in the grading of high-level talents of Chinese universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), SUSTech ranked eighth among Chinese universities and the average score of high-end talent ranked fourth among national universities.
Currently, SUSTech has 1,114 faculty members, including 43 Academicians and 33 Distinguished Young Scholars of the National Nature Science Fund, 44 international Fellows, 30 experts from the Ministry of Education, and 14 experts from the National Special Support Program. SUSTech has also welcomed 33 recipients of the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and 14 faculty members were nominated for the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars. More than 90% of faculty members have worked overseas, and 60% have worked or studied in a global top 100 university. High-level talents account for more than 40% of the faculty team.
SUSTech faculty won multiple awards and honors
In 2020, the faculty of SUSTech has gained recognition from academic circles with increased academic influence and research results.
SUSTech President Qikun XUE, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, won the 2020 Fudan-Zhongzhi Science Award which was jointly founded by Fudan University and Zhongzhi Enterprise Group in 2015. The award recognizes scientists who have made fundamental and groundbreaking achievements in the fields of physics, mathematics, and biomedicine. It aims to promote global scientific research and provide an international platform for research communication, discussion, and sharing.
Liyuan ZHANG, winner of the Xplorer Prize for his contribution to Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies
Chair Professor Xin YAO from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at SUSTech was awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Frank Rosenblatt Award for 2020. He is the first Chinese scholar to win this award. The project that was partaken by Professor Qing HU from the School of Environmental Science and Engineering of SUSTech won the second prize of the Environmental Protection Science and Technology Award. Liyuan ZHANG, Professor from the Department of Physics, became one of the 50 winners of the Xplorer Prize for his contribution to Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies.
The project of Chair Professor Chunmiao ZHENG’s team won the second prize of the 2020 Environmental Science and Technology Award, and Chair Professor Junguo LIU won the World Academy of Sciences Award. Tiangang YANG, Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry, and Zhenzhong ZENG, Associate Professor from the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, won the Qiu Shi Outstanding Young Scholar Award. Professor Yan WU of the Center for the Humanities won the 2020 Thomas D. Clarison Prize.
Ming YU, Chair Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), won the IEEE International Microwave Theory and Techniques Society 2020 Microwave Application Award. Lei LIU, Director of the Second Affiliated Hospital of SUSTech, was honored as a role model at a ceremony to commend role models in China’s fight against COVID-19. Dazhi SUN, Associate Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), won the industry-university research cooperation innovation award. Assistant Professor Jin ZHANG of the Department of Mathematics won the 7th Youth Award of Operations Research Society of China. These are just some of the awards SUSTech faculty members won in 2020.
Junguo LIU, winner of the World Academy of Sciences Award
SUSTech scholars also received multiple honors for their successful research. A total of 11 professors were elected fellows or members of world-known research organizations, including Academia Europaea, The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), Association for Information Systems (AIS), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Geophysical Union (AGU), Royal Aeronautical Society, and The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
In 2021, SUSTech will continue to deepen its roots in China, while further grasping opportunities and innovating talent cultivation in order to make more contributions to the development of the “double zone.”
