To scientifically plan for the high-quality development of various initiatives, Peking University’s School of Materials Science and Engineering (hereinafter referred to as the "Materials School") convened the 2025 Summer Strategic Seminar on August 24 at the Materials School Building Lecture Hall in the New Yan Garden campus. Jin Zhang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Member of the Standing Committee of Peking University’s Party Committee, and Executive Vice President, attended the event. All faculty and staff (including those in Shenzhen and Zhengzhou) participated. The seminar was co-chaired by Dean Ruqiang Zou and Party Secretary Ming Li.
Seminar Scene
Ruqiang Zou and Ming Li Presiding
Jin Zhang highly affirmed the school’s development over the past five years and offered suggestions regarding education, scientific research, and platform construction. He noted that 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Peking University’s materials discipline and the 5th anniversary of the school’s founding. Standing at a new historical starting point, he urged all faculty and staff to deeply understand the university’s “Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation” initiative, nurture a world-class ecosystem, serve the cause of a scientifically and educationally strong nation, and pragmatically accomplish various development tasks. He expressed hope that the school would further integrate internal and external resources, accelerate the high-level development of the Zhengzhou Advanced Materials Research Institute, fully leverage the “one institute, three locations” development framework, continue exploring new models of organized research, and contribute to the university’s “Double First-Class” initiative and the nation’s scientific and technological self-reliance.
Party Secretary Ming Li, Deputy Party Secretaries Shaojun Guo and Jing Zhang, Vice Deans Huanping Zhou and Ting Lei, Vice Dean of the Shenzhen Graduate School of Advanced Materials (SAM) Yingguo Xiao, and the head of Peking University’s Zhengzhou Advanced Materials Research Institute successively reported on party building and ideological work, faculty development, scientific research, platform construction, talent cultivation, and off-site institutions. They analyzed the current status, distinctive measures, and challenges in each area, while outlining future work plans.
Jin Zhang, Ming Li, Shaojun Guo, Jing Zhang, Huanping Zhou, Ting Lei, and Yingguo Xiao Speaking
In the afternoon, the school held a special seminar on talent cultivation. Ye Sun, Deputy Party Secretary and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Peking University Press, was invited to deliver a keynote report, providing a comprehensive overview of the press’s current key tasks, the basic status of publishing science-related books, and matters to note during article and book editing. Professor Anyuan Cao from the Materials School presented a report titled “Preliminary Discussion and Reflections on the Compilation of the Materials and Era Textbook,” while Professor Hong Meng from the Shenzhen Graduate SAM shared teaching cases and experiences in building a world-class course on Organic Optoelectronic Materials, sparking deep reflections among attending faculty on textbook development and teaching quality improvement.
Ye Sun Delivering Keynote Report
Anyuan Cao and Hong Meng Sharing Insights
Subsequently, the school held a special seminar on discipline evaluation. Huanping Zhou reported on the school’s preparations for the upcoming global discipline evaluation and outlined next steps. Attending faculty engaged in discussions and exchanges.
Special Seminar
Professors Actively Discussing and Exchanging Ideas
In the concluding remarks, Ming Li summarized the event. He stated that the school’s Party Committee would closely align with the university’s overall deployment, continue to lead high-quality development through strong party building, enhance the school’s party-building brand, and strengthen the integration of party work with business operations to provide robust political support for the school’s development.
Ruqiang Zou emphasized that “cultivating virtue and talent” is the fundamental mission of the university. He urged attention to outstanding students as well as the “silent students” in daily teaching and research, ensuring all students benefit from Peking University’s high-quality educational resources. He highlighted that scientific research is a core university function and encouraged more faculty and students to address real problems and conduct high-level, high-quality research aligned with the “four orientations.” He called on all faculty to take proactive action, set clear goals, and ensure the seminar’s outcomes on talent cultivation, scientific research, and technology transfer are implemented effectively.
Moving forward, the School will further clarify its overall development strategy, fully implement the university’s new engineering discipline construction plan, promote north-south integration and school-local cooperation, mobilize the collective strength of the institution, and jointly drive high-quality development, contributing new momentum to Peking University’s “Double First-Class” initiative.
Group Photo
