Credit: ShanghaiTech University
Opened in September 2013, ShanghaiTech University was jointly established by the Shanghai Municipal Government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It is a young and dynamic higher education institution committed to carrying out research in line with China’s national development strategies, and nurturing the next generation of innovative scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs. With an academic focus on STEAM research (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), ShanghaiTech seeks cutting-edge solutions to address the challenges that China and the world are facing, including work in the fields of energy, materials, environment, human health, and artificial intelligence.
Fostering interdisciplinarity in research
With the belief that innovation comes from collaboration, the senior leadership at ShanghaiTech highly values interdisciplinary research and encourages collaboration across disciplines. The set-up of the five schools at ShanghaiTech: the School of Physical Science and Technology (SPST), the School of Information Science and Technology (SIST), the School of Life Science and Technology (SLST), the School of Entrepreneurship and Management (SEM), and the School of Creativity and Art (SCA), is testament to the university’s emphasis on interdisciplinarity. Each school covers a broad range of subject areas, and brings in diverse faculty teams with multidisciplinary backgrounds. Cross-school collaboration is also strongly supported.
Moreover, the university has established three interdisciplinary research institutes, including the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS), which combines all the capabilities needed for discovering new antibodies and turning them into drugs; the iHuman Institute (iHuman), which focuses on integrating molecular, cellular and whole body data to build a dynamic atomic resolution model of the human body with the use of biological, chemical and computational tools; and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMS), which merges pure and applied mathematics, as well as computer science. A new Institute of Humanities was recently launched. These are all linked by a strong culture of interdisciplinary collaboration, and also promote partnerships with industries and other external parties for commercializing research results.
A ShanghaiTech faculty member providing a demonstration on virtual reality. Credit: ShanghaiTech University
Located in the heart of Shanghai Pudong’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, ShanghaiTech is close to various industrial R&D sites and high-tech or venture companies. As an integral part of the Zhangjiang National Science Center, ShanghaiTech is now leading several frontier research projects and plays an important role in the construction of large- scale national facilities, including the Free Electron Laser Facility, the Live Cell Imagining Facility and the Ultra-Intense and Ultrashort Pulse Laser Facility, which were initiated by the Zhangjiang National Science Center.
Partnerships with local research institutions and universities have allowed ShanghaiTech to share the rich research and educational resources in the area. The National Protein Science Center, Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), Chinese National Compound Library, and Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, as well as more than 300 established biotech/ pharma/computer science/ telecommunications companies are also in the vicinity, facilitating easy collaboration.
Part of the modern and comfortable campus. Credit: ShanghaiTech University
Investing in people
ShanghaiTech is forming a top-tier faculty team of around 1,000 professors, including 500 distinguished professors-in-residence from CAS or other prestigious universities or institutes. Following international practices, it adopts a tenure- track system, which helps draw talented and experienced faculty members from around the world. Currently, more than 90% of ShanghaiTech’s faculty members have overseas research experience.
The university also aims to nurture leading scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs for the future, offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Its schools and research institutes work closely together to foster students’ moral integrity, academic capabilities and innovative spirits. Students are encouraged to investigate the challenges faced by China and the world, explore difficult research areas and high-tech industries, and implement their innovative and entrepreneurial ideas.
An adjunct professor in ShanghaiTech multi-national faculty, works with students. Credit: ShanghaiTech University
Building a global community on campus
ShanghaiTech is actively engaged in the globalization of education. It has built extensive collaborations with world-renowned universities, such as University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, MIT, Yale University, Harvard University, and the University of Padova. Collaboration takes the forms of faculty training, course sharing, joint degree programmes, student exchange, academic exchange, and joint research projects.
As a small, international research university of academic excellence, ShanghaiTech has 72 full-time foreign faculty and staff members, who come from 21 countries. The university provides “micro-environmental services” for its international staff. The services include assistance with all affairs related to entry and residence. As part of an ongoing effort, the university administration is working to provide bilingual services to its staff. Leveraging both internal and external platforms and resources, regular language exchange and training activities are organized to facilitate a smooth transition for staff members joining from overseas.
Joining a vibrant community
ShanghaiTech is now seeking talented researchers for multiple positions at all ranks in various fields, ranging from health sciences and environmental sciences, to computer science, mathematics and energy materials. To see the available positions, and apply, please go to http://jobs.shanghaitech.edu.cn/Jobs_english/.
