The freedom to flourish in an innovative team

What are USTC’s advantages in attracting talent?

The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is one of the country’s most prestigious. It is internationally recognized for its tradition of academic excellence and an intense focus on talent, demonstrated by its strong funding base and academic output. USTC’s state-of-the-art facilities are being expanded, with a new campus and medical college set to improve an already stimulating atmosphere for research and innovation. USTC scholars and students enjoy enormous freedom in realizing their own research goals, firmly backed by administrative and financial support.

How does the link to CAS contribute to talent development at USTC?

As the first university founded by the Chinese Academy of Science, the nation’s leading research institution, a lasting connection has been inherited. USTC’s unique research-oriented teaching framework leads to close collaborations and gives USTC access to an extensive CAS resource pool, including top scientists, advanced instruments, and major funding opportunities. The interactions have also helped interdisciplinary research. The relationship with CAS greatly enhances the capacity and competitiveness of USTC researchers. Many joint projects have yielded breakthroughs.

What measures have you taken at USTC to build a supportive research environment?

USTC respects its researchers and safeguards their freedom to explore cutting-edge subjects. We have continuously improved our evaluation system to transcend the traditional criteria that puts too much emphasis on titles, qualifications, and numbers of publications and awards. We also encourage international collaboration of all researchers. USTC was the first Chinese university to establish a dedicated grant to support overseas academic exchange and training of faculty and staff.

We are working with the local government, hospitals, and industry, to make the most of research. USTC receives funding, samples, and requests for solutions, and responds with results gleaned from basic science. Its presence in Hefei City adds strength to China’s second Comprehensive National Science Centre, which incorporates multiple large facilities, such as the Synchrotron Radiation Accelerator, Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, and Steady High Magnetic Field.

What are the results of these supportive measures?

We have attracted many brilliant young scientists, complementing our well established researchers. Around 33% of our faculty members receive national-level talent grants, and of those, 53% are recruited into various national programmes for talented scientists under the age of 40. The young researchers have made impressive forays into scientific frontiers, such as quantum information technology, iron-based superconductors, artificial intelligence, and dark matter particle detection. They have not only produced exciting research outcomes, but brought renewed vigour to the university’s culture.

How do you foster career development for junior researchers?

Junior researchers are an indispensable part of our research team. While they are recruited based on project needs, and most of them spend between three and six years at USTC, the university is committed to their long-term career development. Besides providing first-class research platforms that will forge their career paths, we also help facilitate their application for national grants, and provide support for international exchange to enhance their research competence. This policy has not only effectively motivated the contract-based researchers, but also built a talent reservoir for the university. A majority of our contract researchers receive great job offers when they complete an appointment at USTC, whether they choose to stay in academia or move to industry.

What are your plans for faculty team building?

We will continue to balance the needs of new recruits and existing members, in terms of necessary resources and support. As much as we emphasize recruiting new talents, we want to make sure our people will stay and grow. We are implementing a flexible policy to attract and retain excellent researchers. Meanwhile, we will keep refining our evaluation system to be more sustainable, and more effective in stimulating creativity. In addition to our existing platforms, we have recently established a new faculty of life science and medicine, and another new faculty of artificial intelligence and information science is on the way. The National Laboratory for Quantum Information Science, soon to be fully operational, will play a significant role in these fields. We sincerely welcome young talents to join USTC, and to realize your scientific dreams with us.