The Tsinghua Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities and Social Sciences (TIAS) held its annual orientation for incoming Shuimu postdoctoral fellows at the Center for Faculty Development on 28 October 2025. Qiu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, attended the event and delivered the opening address.
Beginning in 2022, the University launched a special initiative under the existing Shuimu Tsinghua Scholar Program to support TIAS in recruiting outstanding early-career postdoctoral researchers in the humanities and social sciences from around the world. A total of twenty-two fellows were recruited during the 2023 and 2024 academic years. This autumn, ten new Ph.D. graduates from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, India and other countries have joined TIAS to pursue cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research alongside TIAS faculty.
Qiu Yong speaks at TIAS orientation event
Orientation event held at the Center for Faculty Development
Qiu noted that Tsinghua has a long and distinguished tradition in the fields of humanities and social sciences. He stressed that in the context of contemporary China¡¯s rapid development, greater emphasis must be placed on the development these disciplines. Tsinghua is committed to serving national strategic priorities and will take concrete, effective measures to contribute to building China¡¯s independent knowledge system in philosophy and social sciences. Since its founding, TIAS has served as a platform for interdisciplinary and inter-cultural dialogue, bringing together scholars from different countries and cultures. Moving forward, TIAS will expand and strengthen its talent team through international exchanges and collaboration, produce more high-level academic achievements, and continuously enhance its international influence. Qiu also encouraged the incoming fellows to fully leverage Tsinghua¡¯s resources, pursue ambitious research agendas, and contribute to establishing TIAS as a flagship center for advanced study at the university.
Professor Wang Hui, Director of TIAS and Distinguished Professor, provided an overview of the special initiative of the ¡°Shuimu Tsinghua Program¡± at TIAS, the institute¡¯s resident scholars, visiting-scholar programs and major scholarly outputs. Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences and former Chancellor of UC Berkeley, reflected on his previous collaborations with TIAS and expressed his anticipation for deeper and sustained collaboration in the future. Each of the ten new fellows introduced their research interests, followed by reflections from current postdoctoral representatives on life and work at TIAS.
Yu Xinjie, Director of the University Human Resources Department, reviewed the evolution of the Shuimu Tsinghua Scholar Program and offered guidance for the fellows¡¯ professional development. Participants also included Liu Shi, Dean of the School of Humanities; Wang Hui, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures in Tsinghua; Mei Ciqi, Dean of the Xinya College; Cao Li, Professor of Foreign Languages; Tang Xiaoyang, Professor of Social Sciences; L¨¹ Xiaojie, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation; and Yang Yongheng, Director of the Office of Humanities Development. TIAS¡¯s Deputy Director Song Nianshen presided over the session and delivered the closing remarks. Alumni representative Yang Jinfang of the Department of Computer Science and the full cohort of TIAS Shuimu fellows attended the event.
