Credit: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) was established in 1978 with an emphasis on integrating science and education. A unique university focusing on graduate student education, its management structure, teaching staff, training system, and research programmes are all closely linked to the various institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Here, UCAS vice president, Yueliang Wu, a CAS member, elaborates on the strategies for integrated growth with the best talents from China and abroad.
What characterizes student training at UCAS?
Our 49,000 master’s and doctoral students, and 1,500 undergraduates benefit greatly from our emphasis on research-education integration. Opportunities to work on cutting-edge research, including national key projects, allow students to quickly build hands-on skills and academic capabilities. More than 130 of our alumni have become members of CAS or the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Around a quarter of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars recipients are our graduates. Our current students have also become a major force in scientific innovation, supporting almost all the research projects at CAS.
I hope our graduates will maintain their learning capabilities and the enthusiasm for exploration, be willing to step out of their comfort zone to take challenges. By maintaining creativity, they can think outside the box. I also expect them to show determination in pursuing their dreams.
What has UCAS achieved in academic development?
Leveraging top research platforms and the broad international collaboration network of CAS, we have developed a comprehensive set of academic disciplines. In the fourth round of national discipline assessment, we have 30 A-grade disciplines, including 18 awarded A+, ranking third nationally. We are also the world’s fastest rising academic institution, ranked top among the world’s young universities according to the Nature Index rankings. Latest data from the Essential Science Indicators suggest that we are among the top universities in mainland China and ranked 76th worldwide.
How will you enhance the faculty team?
Our achievements are a result of the dedication of our more than 3,000 teachers and 10,000-plus mentors, who are key in the making of UCAS. For the past 40 years, generations of scientists passionate about education have imparted knowledge and the spirit of scientific pursuit to students, setting our university apart. In recruiting talent from abroad, we also emphasize student cultivation, which we see as a core mission for a university.
For new faculty members, we offer advanced research and teaching platforms, efficient support, and great flexibility. The rise of a science city by UCAS campus in the Beijing suburb of Huairou, which will become a new landmark for science and a magnet to tens of thousands of talented people, provides us greater growth opportunities. We look forward to seeing more great researchers join our endeavour to build UCAS into a unique, world-class university.