Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Hainan University
As the September semester draws near, Luo Qingming, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and President of Hainan University (HNU), has been exceptionally obligated and occupied. Beyond overseeing the university’s daily administration, he takes an active part in diverse industry university research linkage activities across Hainan. One such event is the recently held 9th National Biomedical Engineering Innovation Design Competition. It attracted nearly 10,000 competitors and more than 3,000 projects from 250 universities nationwide. Luo personally took part in and presided over the competition to ensure its success.
“Personal destinies are always intertwined with the currents of the times. We must ground ourselves in the strategic blueprint for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the profound global shifts unseen in a century. We should bear the nation’s paramount concerns in our hearts, staying attuned to the needs of the times, and moving forward with the changes they bring.” Luo Qingming often encourages his students with these words. For years, he has practiced what he teaches. As a university president swamped with multifarious administrative duties, he has never stepped away from teaching and research. He pursues research with quiet dedication, devotes himself to educating and mentoring students, and has spent years working tirelessly on the shores of the South China Sea.
From a Farmer’s Son to a Renowned Scientist
Born in 1966 to a rural family in Qichun County, Hubei Province, Luo Qingming forged a resilient spirit and a drive for excellence. Qichun’s profound cultural heritage exerted a subtle influence on him in his formative years, nurturing him into an avid reader and a science enthusiast.
In 1982, at the age of 16, Luo was admitted to the Department of Technical Physics, Northwest Institute of Telecommunications Engineering (now Xidian University), owing to his exceptional academic achievements. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, he pursued advanced degrees at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), receiving a master’s in optics and subsequently a Ph.D. in physical electronics and optoelectronics. Those years forged his profound bond with HUST, motivating him to commit fully to pioneering optoelectronic research.
After completing his Ph.D., Luo undertook postdoctoral research overseas. He was profoundly struck by state-of-the-art work at the intersection of information optoelectronics and biomedical science. This experience ignited his strong interest in biomedical photonics, a field to which he resolved to dedicate his career. In 1997, Luo rejoined HUST as a faculty member.
In the ensuing years, Luo advanced from lecturer to full professor, successively holding the posts of Director of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dean of the College of Life Science and Technology, and subsequently Vice President of HUST. His research centered on applying biomedical photonics to explore the mysteries of the brain.
Luo’s unwavering commitment and determination have been pivotal in transforming a little-known interdisciplinary research group into a world-renowned one. For more than 20 years, his team has achieved multiple leading advances in brain science and technology domestically and internationally.
Reflecting on his academic journey, Luo recalls numerous challenges and setbacks along the way. “Brain tissue is as soft as tofu, which makes it extremely difficult to preserve brain samples and label the internal nerves and blood vessels. It took our team three years merely to develop a standard brain sample preparation protocol,” he remarked.
Luo’s perseverance has borne remarkable fruits. His outstanding accomplishments have earned him the National Technological Invention Award (Second Prize) and the National Natural Science Award (Second Prize).
Recruiting and Nurturing Talents to Consolidate the Foundation of Development
In 2018, China’s central government unveiled plans to develop the Hainan Free Trade Zone. To advance Hainan University, the Hainan provincial government launched a global talent recruitment drive, and Luo Qingming was among those invited. After careful deliberation, he accepted this new challenge and assumed office as President of Hainan University.
“Enter Hainan University, and you are of Hainan,” said Luo. Though he had rarely visited Hainan before, he immersed himself fully in the university’s educational and administrative work. Colleagues describe him as a “workaholic”, often spotted in meetings, his office or the laboratory.
Luo recognizes that a world-class faculty is indispensable for a great university to cultivate outstanding graduates. From the day he assumed his post at Hainan University, he has fully promoted talent recruitment and educational reform.
Recognizing the need to bolster recruitment of high-caliber talent, Luo sought to establish Hainan University as a talent reservoir for the Hainan Free Trade Port. Since 2018, Hainan University has recruited 1,602 high-level talents with doctoral degrees. Its full-time faculty has risen to 2,967, marking a 50% increase compared with 2017. The number of faculty members with doctorates has tripled, and national-level talents including academicians have grown from 4 to 68. New recruits account for over half of all full-time faculty. This infusion of fresh talent has energized the entire institution, steadily lifting Hainan University’s capacity for scientific research and innovation. In 2023, the university won approval for 271 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
One exemplary talent is Wang Xianpeng, who joined Hainan University in 2016 upon completing his postdoctoral research at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. In merely eight years, he advanced from a young lecturer to professor and dean of the School of Information and Communication Engineering. Looking back on his career at Hainan University, he remarked, “The university has introduced a range of talent recruitment policies. In the early days, high-caliber scholars on campus were few. Today, through more targeted and flexible recruitment, Hainan University has attracted outstanding professionals from a wide range of fields.”
Wang is most deeply impressed by Hainan University’s professor-led academic governance system, which enables research experts to fully contribute to the university’s teaching, education and administrative management. “Hainan University offers a broad stage for every faculty member who is willing to take on responsibilities and make achievements. It transforms everyone’s enthusiasm for study and work into a strong force for tackling difficulties and pursuing progress,” Wang remarked.
Additionally, Hainan University has adopted a talent introduction mechanism led by research team leaders. Newly recruited faculty members are supported by senior experts and premium research platforms from the very start of their careers, paving the way for their professional growth. “This talent training model allows new faculty to launch experimental research immediately upon recruitment, greatly shortening the talent cultivation cycle,” said Professor Tian Xinlong, Deputy Dean of the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Hainan University.
“Each student is unique in terms of family backgrounds, life experiences and personal interests. Therefore, personalized education stands at the core of higher education,” Luo asserted. To advance this philosophy, he has championed innovative reforms in talent cultivation, most notably the modern residential college system. The system delivers targeted academic mentorship, multi-functional residential services and diverse extracurricular programs to support all-round student development. Zheng Xiangyu, a 2020 entry student majoring in International Economics and Trade, is a typical beneficiary of this reform. He regularly participates in college-organized academic and field practice activities together with peers from diverse disciplines. Such hands-on fieldwork and interdisciplinary exchanges have comprehensively strengthened his practical capabilities.
Distinctive Education for Hainan Free Trade Port Development
A university prospers with the city, and a city thrives with the university. In Luo Qingming’s view, to fully serve the Hainan Free Trade Port, Hainan University must proactively address urgent scientific and engineering challenges that meet national strategic needs and local development goals. This enables Hainan to fully leverage its strengths in natural resources, geographical location, preferential policies, and practical application scenarios.
Leveraging Hainan’s unique natural endowments, Hainan University has set up seven collaborative innovation centers in fields including tropical seed breeding and efficient agriculture, marine science and technology, free trade port development and institutional innovation, as well as culture and tourism.
As president of Hainan University, Luo has founded a host of specialized research institutes tailored to local needs. To fuel their high-quality and accelerated growth, he has taken an active role in organizing and advancing high-impact research projects and academic events.
“Today, Hainan University has built up an island-wide research system to bolster the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. We have established research platforms in key regions across the island: Sanya hosts research facilities dedicated to seed breeding and biomedical science; Ding’an houses an institute focusing on food and materials science; and Wenchang features a research center for green aquaculture. Furthermore, the university has launched a number of ‘science and technology backyards’ throughout Hainan Province,” remarked the Head of the School of Breeding and Multiplication (Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication).
Supported by the development of high-caliber research teams, world-class research platforms and major scientific projects, Hainan University has consistently delivered innovative achievements, injecting continuous innovation momentum into the advancement of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
“Looking ahead, under the solid leadership of the CPC Hainan University Committee, the university will uphold the development philosophy of ‘building robust platforms, highlighting unique features, recruiting elite talents, and pursuing openness and innovation.’ Centering on three major reforms—the comprehensive credit system, collaborative innovation centers, and the residential college system—we will build Hainan University into a world-class institution,” Luo stated.
Original link:https://proapi.jingjiribao.cn/readnews.html?id=311525
Translated by Su Yonghui
Proofread by Zhao Yanchun
