In the golden autumn, talent gathers at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), chasing dreams on their education journey. On the afternoon of September 3^rd, the 2026 graduate student opening ceremony of SUSTech was held at Runyang Stadium. The ceremony was attended by the Council Chairperson Hong JIANG, President Qikun XUE, other university leaders, representatives of academicians, deans from various colleges, and heads of functional departments. Vice President and Provost Hongwei FANG hosted the ceremony.

The ceremony kicked off with the entire audience singing the national anthem loudly and proudly. Chairperson Hong JIANG and President Qikun XUE pinned the school badges on representatives of the new graduate students. This year, SUSTech admitted over 2,800 new graduate students, setting new records for both total enrollment and the number of PhD students. The new students come from more than 400 universities and research institutes both inside and outside China, including 29 international students from 15 countries like Italy, Sweden, and Russia. Over 110 new students come from world-renowned universities such as Oxford, Johns Hopkins, Imperial College, and the National University of Singapore.

Qikun XUE delivered a speech titled “Breakthrough and Strive to Lead the Trend, Shoulder Responsibility and Build a Strong Nation.” Looking globally, technological competition has become the core battlefield of a major power rivalry. Independence and control over key core technologies are crucial for the overall welfare of the nation. Today, we young people should explore with wisdom to open a path of technological self-reliance and innovation.

Qikun XUE shared three hopes for the students. First, to remember the mission of “serving the country through science and technology” and to be innovative leaders. As an important part of the country’s strategic scientific and technological forces, SUSTech has always stood at the forefront of innovation and tackling challenges, focusing on major national tasks, aiming at cutting-edge fundamental research and real technological bottlenecks, proactively charging at one “nonexistent” problem after another, striving to turn the “impossible” in more scientific fields into “possible.” He hopes students will dare to lead, explore new paths, tackle difficult challenges, and strive to achieve more breakthroughs in their research fields for their generation.

Second, to uphold the principle of “seeking truth and being pragmatic” and cultivate real knowledge through deep work. He encouraged students to root themselves in SUSTech’s innovative environment, pursue genuine knowledge, and dig deep and persist in their research fields. He hopes students will deeply internalize pragmatism and make it visible in their actions, refining real academic knowledge through hands-on dedication.

Third, fulfill the responsibility of “holding the greater good in one’s heart” and strive to strengthen the nation. He said that currently, the future is forming in industries like quantum technology, brain-machine interfaces, embodied intelligence, 6G, etc. These fields call for a new generation of responsible youth to tackle every new challenge. He hopes students embrace the world with an active mindset, integrate personal ideals with a sense of social responsibility, align their academic pursuit with people’s needs, and blend personal efforts with human progress.

He hopes students will stick to the principle of seeking truth and being pragmatic, practice the responsibility of having a bigger self in mind, strive to lead the trend, and shoulder responsibilities.

Associate Professor Quanying LIU from the Department of Biomedical Engineering spoke as a faculty representative. She shared three insights based on her experience with brain-computer interface research. The most valuable skill for a researcher is to come up with a truly worthwhile problem to solve; defining the problem is more important than finding the answer. The more information you have, the more you need to learn to find valuable “signals” in the noise, and slowly filter out your own research direction with long-term perspectives. You need to go deep in what you do while staying curious about new things; what really matters is constantly reshaping yourself through new experiences. She hopes that students at SUSTech can complete a sort of “self-decoding,” come up with problems that truly belong to them, find genuinely valuable signals, and maintain the ability to update their parameters and keep learning.

Guanding MEI, a College of Engineering PhD graduate, spoke as an alumni representative. He shared three key insights based on his experience of founding Zhuoyin Photonics Technology Co., Ltd. after graduation and leading his team to break the foreign monopoly on high-end optical simulation software. In the AI era, human value is even more precious, and true scientific research requires going through repeated failures and exploration to grow revolutionary results from the ruins. Ability is just the starting point. Communication and collaboration with others determine your limits, so be a trustworthy and reliable person, and follow those who are good. Youth is the best weapon against experience barriers, so dare to try and create, and think more about how to create value for the industry and for others.

Talin Tuoya, a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Science, spoke as a representative of the new students. She shared her understanding of SUSTech’s mission to “send young students out into the world and bring them back here with renewed passion” through her advisor’s experience of teaching at the university after nearly ten years of research abroad. She said that she would seek answers to her scientific journey through the school’s motto of “Virtue, Truth, Advance,” striving to follow her heart, break new boundaries, and aim far, integrating her personal ideals with the needs of national development, and leaving a scientific mark as a SUSTech student in her academic exploration.

Elizaveta Zorina, a PhD student from the School of Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing in Russia, spoke as a representative of new international students. She shared three insights. That research requires the courage to explore the unknown, to live peacefully with failure but never compromise on carelessness, and to stay honest with evidence. To be wary of tools like AI replacing independent thinking, to use technology to empower rather than create dependency, and to keep curiosity and sharp thinking. That the core value of technology lies in people and what we create together, so it’s important to stay open, cooperative, and supportive of each other. She hopes everyone will maintain a rigorous attitude and strong curiosity, and gain breakthroughs and friendships through continuous exploration.

The ceremony ended with all the faculty and students singing the stirring melody of “Ode to the Motherland” together.

Before the ceremony started, attendees watched a welcome short film and enjoyed performances by freshman counselors.