From January 9 to 10, 2026, graduate students from the Zhejiang University–Yangshengtang Joint Center for Fundamental Science Research convened at the Tsientang Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS) for the Center’s annual graduate research seminar. Centered on the theme “Voices Along the Research Journey: Growing Through Dialogue,” the student-focused event featured research presentations, frontier lectures, and discussions that provided a platform for participants to review research progress, share reflections from scientific practice, and explore future directions within collaborative projects.

On the morning of the first day, 11 graduate students from collaborative projects presented their research, highlighting recent progress, methodological innovations, and scholarly reflections. Following evaluation, Fupeng Li, Weixin Xu, and Qishen Zhou were awarded the Best Presentation Award for their distinctive and outstanding presentations.

In the afternoon, invited talks by Professor Drew Weissman, 2023 Nobel laureate, and Professor Ali Naji combined disciplinary depth with cross-disciplinary perspectives, broadening participants’ academic horizons. The day concluded with the “Research Journey” dinner, where interactive sessions such as vision card writing and informal dialogues created an open and collegial setting for students to share research challenges, personal reflections, and future aspirations.

On the following day, students took part in the Institute’s Annual Academic Conference, gaining first-hand exposure to current developments in interdisciplinary research and the broader academic environment of the Institute.

This "Research Journey" seminar highlighted the Zhejiang University–Yangshengtang Joint Research Center for Fundamental Science’s continued efforts in collaborative training and research mentorship, while reinforcing a student-centered approach to graduate education by foregrounding student perspectives, responding to developmental needs, and encouraging independent academic growth.

Source: Tianling Ma

Editing: Mengyao Cai, Zilong Zheng

Review: Wei Zhang, Zilong Zheng