In November 2021, three academics from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) were elected as academicians, with two becoming members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and one being a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Keqing XIA, Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, was honored as a newly elected CAS member; Zhenghe XU, Dean and Chair Professor of the College of Engineering, as a foreign member of CAE; and Efim Zelmanov, Scientific Director and Distinguished Visiting Professor of the SUSTech International Center for Mathematics, was elected as a foreign member of CAS.

At the annual National Science and Technology Award Conference in Beijing, three faculty members from SUSTech received awards for their outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation.

Guoxian PEI, Chair Professor of the School of Medicine and Dean of the Third Affiliated Hospital to SUSTech, was awarded the first prize for the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award. Haiping XIA, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Executive Dean of the Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, and Feng YANG, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry, received second prizes in the State Natural Science Award.

Professor Bin TAN’s team from the Department of Chemistry won the first prize of the Natural Science Award in Guangdong Province. It was one of 11 first prizes of Natural Science in the whole province and the first provincial science and technology award for the University. In addition, Associate Professor Bin TANG from the Department of Biomedical Engineering won the second prize of the Natural Science Award.

In March 2021, Mingjie ZHANG, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, received the C.C. Tan Life Science Awards, a top award in the field of life sciences.

SUSTech scholars also received honors at the 4th Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences (CSES）Young Scientist Award. Assistant Professor Jun-Jian WANG from the School of Environmental Science and Engineering won the Young Scientist Gold Award, while Associate Professor Hong CHEN won the Young Scientist Excellence Award.

The University has also been approved for various projects. This included two projects of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and ten NSFC Young Scientists Fund projects. In addition, one project from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao (GBA) research team has been approved by the Guangdong Province Joint Fund for two consecutive years. Only three projects in the whole province are approved each year.

2021 was also an impressive year for SUSTech in recognizing its scholars for their efforts in social sciences. The University’s faculty members won nine awards for their outstanding achievements at the 10th Shenzhen Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievements Awards. This included Chair Professor Fengliang LI of the Center for Humanities winning the first prize, Professor Yan WU, Lecturer Yang LIU, and Yang ZENG winning second prizes, and five other faculty members taking home third prize awards.

SUSTech’s high-level faculty continues to grow each year and has won the city’s “Talent Scout Award” for six consecutive years. The University attaches great importance to developing its talent, adhering to the international standards of global institutions, and establishing a human resource management system that is compatible with the modern university system. In doing so, it has established a high caliber of international faculty.

SUSTech currently has 1,310 faculty members, including 55 Academicians, 51 international fellows, and 39 recipients of the Distinguished Young Scholars of the National Nature Science Fund. 90% have worked overseas, and 60% have worked or studied in a global top 100 university.