Overseas applicants vie to work for China's first prestigious private research institute

People's Daily Online | Updated: 2017-06-29

On the morning of June 28, over 30 applicants from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Israel came to Zhejiang’s Hangzhou to compete for positions in the Westlake Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS), the first private research institute for advanced science and technology in China. It is the institute’s fourth recruitment drive to attract overseas scholars since it was founded two years ago.

The applicants were invited to briefly talk about their education background, work experience, academic achievements, and work plan in China. After a question and answer session, interviewers from the institute voted for their favorite candidates. So far, 21 prominent scientists have been selected from over 1,500 applicants.

Professor Rao Yi from Peking University, now leader of the Institute for Basic Medical Sciences at WIAS said, “WIAS is dedicated to creating an enabling environment for researchers. We will guarantee that support for our professors meets international standards. They only need to focus on their work. With sufficient funds, I believe all them will make great progress at our institute.”

The institute was initiated by seven top-notch Chinese scientists, including Shi Yigong, Chen Shiyi, Pan Jianwei, and Rao Yi. It is funded by private companies, including Longfor Properties, Tencent Holdings, and Dalian Wanda Group.

Fifteen to 20 world-class experts will officially join WIAS and build their research teams by the end of this year. In no more than two years’ time, the institute will have 50-60 state-of-the-art laboratories and hundreds of researchers. The first group of PhD students admitted to the institute will attend school in September this year.