Hangzhou, China, Dec. 10, 2016 — Westlake Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS) hosts its founding ceremony today in Hangzhou. WIAS is a non-profit research institute that is dedicated to the advancement of natural sciences and the frontiers of engineering disciplines. WIAS is located in the beautiful Cloud Town of Xihu District of Hangzhou.
WIAS hosted the second academic interview on November 20, 2016 in Hangzhou, China. Twenty outstanding talents from United States of America, Germany, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Taiwan participated in this round of interviews. Through presentations and questions, WIAS judges evaluated the candidates’ independent thinking abilities as well as their dedication to academic studies to select the best talents.
According to individual specialized areas, candidates joined interviews in two groups: 6 in Biology and Medical Sciences Group, with Professor Yigong Shi as the head of the judges, and 14 in Physics and Engineering Sciences Group, with Professor Shiyi Chen overseeing the process. Most of the twenty candidates are from world-famous universities. They gave presentations one by one on their education and work experience, representative academic achievements and impacts, followed by questions from the judges. The interview sessions were concluded by in-depth conversations between the judges and the candidates regarding the future of WIAS and their research.
Having world-class universities is viewed as an important measurement to a country’s strength in science, culture and higher education. In the meantime, it is also a necessity when a country has developed to a certain stage in its economic, scientific, and social status. In Hangzhou, a city positioning itself as the Silicon Valley of China, the dream of a world-class university is currently being nurtured. As the foundation of Westlake University, WIAS is set to be the only private research institute in China committed to basic and cutting-edge researches with the purpose to deepen scientific research system reforms and cultivate innovative talents. It is also the first private scientific research institute which will carry out doctoral trainings at the very beginning.
WIAS comprises four founding institutes: Institute for Biology, Institute for Basic Medical Sciences, Institute for Natural Sciences and Institute for Advanced Technology. Cutting-edge research will be conducted at WIAS, and interdisciplinary interactions amongst biology, physics, computer sciences, engineering, and math will be prioritized. Just as Professor Yigong Shi has put it, “Westlake Institute for Advanced Study is entrusted with the shared dreams of 3 million overseas students and 1.4 million returned talents. We hope that, with our devoted effort, WIAS would create history by becoming the very first private world-class scientific research institute in China”.
Hangzhou, a romantic city of China, historically has attracted millions of talents to pursue their dreams and establish their legacies here. We believe the establishment of WIAS will gather top talents in science and technology once again in the beautiful city boasting the West Lake, which poises to be the leading frontier of China and the world’s scientific development.