Professor He Jiaqing, the dean of physics in our university, has conducted fruitful studies on the above subjects and has published significant academic papers in multiple world-class journals. Today, we would get to know him through interview.

Professor He Jiaqing: obtained Bachelor’s Degree in Physics of Wuhan University in 1998; Doctor’s Degree in Physics in the joint institute of Wuhan University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, learning from the famous electron microscope expert Professor Knut Urban and Professor Wang Renhui; After graduation of doctor’s degree, he successively learned and studied in Brookhaven National Laboratory and Northwestern University in the US from 2004-2012. He is now the professor in Physics of SUSTC. Professor He Jiaqing has published approximately 80 academic papers in Science Citation Index, including the 44 papers in Nature and other journals that has impact factor over 7. His papers have been cited for over 1500 times and his study achievements have been reported and reprinted by more than 100 traditional new media and network media. He once accepted special invitation and gave a verbal academic report in multiple international meetings, domestic and foreign universities and institutions. In addition, he has been invited as the long-term reviewer by 22 global famous journals, such as PRL, JACS, etc.

Q: With several years’ working in SUSTC, what’s your general impression of it?

He Jiaqing: I have worked in SUSTC for two and a half years and I have a good impression of it. I worked in a traditional university in China for a year before I came here and I deeply know the disadvantages of higher educational system which is undergoing reform in some universities. However, words are generally more than action in reform of the higher educational system. The system in SUSTC is close to that in the US where teachers and students govern and administration is weakened instead of replacement of academics. This kind of innovative system is more suitable for teachers coming back overseas. At present, most of the professors in SUSTC are overseas returnees. The interpersonal relationship is relatively simple and everyone could get along well with each other. I once planned to return to the US after one year’s stay here, but the comfortable working environment in SUSTC attracted me so much and changed my thoughts. Even now, my heart still stays with SUSTC.

Q: During you working in SUSTC, you have published multiple academic papers. Could you tell me your major motivation that made you do scientific achievements so quickly?

He Jiaqing: The reason why I have made scientific achievements so quickly is potentially my favorable relationship and network connection with the national and international famous laboratories. When facilities in SUSTC are immature, I am able to take advantages of the outside facilities in those laboratories and thus I could keep my work continuous. Some scientific researchers are delayed and suspended, because some new teachers in SUSTC have to rebuild their laboratories and there are no sufficient facilities from outside.

In addition, SUSTC have given teachers great support including favorable policies and humanistic administration. For example, scientific researchers are allowed to be abroad for a long term in the new system, which is impossible in the old system.

SUSTC is so attractive that excellent students graduating from Tsinghua University and other key universities resign to join us in our laboratory for entrepreneurship and they have done an excellent job here. Even some doctoral students overseas have come here for post-doctoral researches because of the good reputation of SUSTC. In conclusion, the scientific achievement we have gained is teamwork.

Q: What do you think of the scientific research environment in SUSTC?

He Jiaqing: A scientific research environment should include both hardware facilities and soft power. In hardware facilities, the current experimental facilities in SUSTC have already become globally advanced and many national and international scholars who have visited our laboratory speak highly of the the experimental facilities in SUSTC. In soft power, the growth speed of SUSTC has been obvious to all although there is still certain distance comparing with the soft power in mature universities. It is nontrivial for SUSTC to come to the present level from the one even weaker than a middle school when it was located in the old campus two years ago. Although SUSTC has attracted a great number of talents, there is still some development space to introduce talents.

In future planning, SUSTC would establish complete and comprehensive department of physics combining with the great demand of national and local governments.

Q: What’s your general planning of the Physics in SUSTC?

He Jiaqing: The general plan of Physics in SUSTC and plan of personnel: Except the 23 personnel in Physics, we plan to recruit additional 50-60 professors. Except the three research directions in condensed matter physics, materials physics and theoretical physics, we have planned additional three research directions in biophysics, astrophysics and particle physics which would be the research field of the professors to recruit. As for students, we would arrange 8-15 personnel in each team (1 leading teacher for each team), 3-5 post-doctoral students, 5-10 graduate students, 1 doctoral students and 1-2 master degree candidates. According to the recruitment ratio of the university, we would also arrange 1-2 undergraduates, additional 30-40 engineers and laboratory technicians in each laboratory.

Q: Does physics in SUSTC target any overseas university?

He Jiaqing: Due to the difference that subject setting in SUSTC is compete and comprehensive, while even a branch subject of physics could be an independent department in many universities overseas, it is difficult for us to find out the exact target.

Q: In talents introduction, what’s your planning and your measures?

He Jiaqing: In condensed matter physics, materials physics and theoretical physics, we already have 23 professors and we would focus on assistant professor, associate professor and high-end talents in future recruitment. In astrophysics, biophysics and particle physics, we would focus on gradation development and talents of levels, such as assistant professor, associate professor, professor, etc.. We plan to introduce 5 each year and ensure both speed and quality. We would favor the new teachers in start-up capital, fund and policies so that temporary difficulties wouldn’t restrict their long-term development.

Q: Which’s your key development direction?

He Jiaqing: The key development direction is to meet the demand of national and local governments combining with new energy, new material, environmental protection and biological medicine etc.; the development of interdisciplinary shall include systemic engineering in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and computer and so on. On the other hand, we encourage and support research of basic subjects in physics, such as superconductivity, topological insulator, spintronics, etc.

Q: What’s the target of Physics of SUSTC in short, medium and long term?

He Jiaqing: The target in the short term is to complete subject layout in the 3-5 years. The medium-term target is to develop into an influential department of physics of our country in 5-8 years. The long term target is to develop into an influential department of physics of the world in 8-15 years.

Besides, undergraduate education in SUSTC has obvious advantages. In undergraduate education, we emphasize efforts to activate the students’ interest, cultivate their self-study ability and advocate innovation.

Q: What’s your plan and measures to cultivate students?

He Jiaqing: In cultivation of students, we would arrange experienced professors to teach students and activate their interest. In the education system of SUSTC, we don’t divide students into different specialties until the third year so that students could find out their interest during the first two years. In addition, we pay attention to cultivate their self-study abilities and fully activate their creativity. Taking the hunting process as an example, what you could tell a green hand is the existence of the prey but not the methods to find it. Either by footprint or by smell of the prey, the green hand needs to use their creativity to find out the prey. SUSTC always strongly advocate the innovation ability. Since the knowledge you gained in books is the achievement by the predecessors, innovation ability is so important in scientific research to create new things. In most cases, some students have a strong ability to learn the knowledge in books, but they are weak in scientific research. Therefore, we hope to recruit students with new ideas. Taking the recruitment in Hubei Province as an example, two students from the same high school, we recruited one of them whose score is 30 points lower than the other one. There are three reasons for it. First, the recruited student is very innovative in the interview. Second, the recruited student gains high scores in ability test which is to examine the ability of students outside of books in the recruitment mode of “6+3+1”. Third, the student’s high school teacher commented that the student is always with new ideas and the student performs well in usual examinations except college entrance examination.

Q: SUSTC has arranged both academic advisor and life advisor for each student. It is unique among national universities. Tong Xiao and Wang Jiale are such outstanding students. As their tutor, do you have some feelings and experience to share with us?

He Jiaqing: I began to act as Wang Jiale’s life advisor in 2013 when I just came to the university. Life advisor and academic advisor have great differences. Life advisor is arranged in the first two years, while academic advisor is arranged in the third and fourth years. Life advisor gives both guidance in study and guidance in livelihood and life, which is very important. I am responsible as a life advisor. I would chat with my students in meetings of each semester. I would pay attention to their grades and would communicate with the student who has a big fluctuation in their grades in order to analyze the reasons and find out the solutions and make progress in the future.

Take Wang Jiale as an example, he wanted to graduate early when he finished the required credits, to apply for studies in a foreign school, but he hesitated a lot, then I inspired him to have a try without considering too much or fearing failure. I passed on my experience to him without reservation, including the direction of the process of applying for studies in a foreign school and noticeable matters in interview. I am a person who cherishes the time, but I will read the e-mail and SMS of students carefully, and take time to communicate with them separately until they are satisfied. Benefited by some work done in my laboratory, and articles published, which is very important, Tong Xiao can apply to study in California Institute of Technology. So the cultivation of undergraduates by SUSTC is the equal of that of graduate students by other domestic universities, to help them obtain better developments and more opportunities.

Q: SUSTC is going to recruit graduate students. Will it impact the cultivation of undergraduates? Will the cultivation advantage of undergraduates reduce?

He Jiaqing: No. As I mentioned earlier, our plan is that each group includes 8-15 persons, without counting undergraduates. According to the proportion of undergraduates, each group has 1-2 persons, who receive the cultivation and guidance of professor, as well as the guidance of senior schoolmates. When recruiting students, I will observe the features of each student specially, to form a complementary relationship in the group, put particular emphasis on the direction of cultivation, and teach them according to their different demands. The cultivation for undergraduates is not only the impartment of knowledge, but also the cultivation of scientific research quality.

About industry-university-research cooperation, now our school is the best in thermoelectric materials in South China. Thermoelectric materials have been applied in refrigeration and cogeneration.

Q: Have the research achievements you do been applied?

He Jiaqing: There are two main aspects of research, one is basic research, the other is that I take charge of the establishing of the basic and applied research center on the picometer scale, including about 20 professors in the aspects of physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. Research centers in SUSTC are interdisciplinary. Furthermore, 20 research centers will be established in the future. Basic and applied research center on the picometer scale mainly researches energy, information, environment, medicine, etc., especially the application of thermoelectric materials, which can be used for refrigeration, especially miniature refrigerators; the advantages of which is long operating life and free of noise. In addition, it also can be used for electricity generation of waste heat, such as the utilization of automobile exhaust and afterheat of power plant, etc. Now we are cooperating with a refrigeration company, negotiating the application of bit refrigeration with an oil company, and negotiating the cooperation with Amer International Group on the aspect of cogeneration. A few days ago, I just participated in a seminar about thermoelectric material. At present, SUSTC is in the leading position in our country in terms of research of thermoelectric materials, and is the best one in South China on this aspect.