LIN Yuanhua

Dean, School of Materials Science and Engineering

Tsinghua University 

Materials are the physical foundation for a strong national economy, for social progress, and for state security. As the foundation of a wide range of industries, materials have been the driving force for scientific and technological development during the evolution of human civilization. Materials science and engineering have always been infrastructural, guiding and permeable, and thus the level of materials research, together with its educational level, also reflects the comprehensive strength of a country. A key requirement therefore for Tsinghua University to achieve in its strategic objective of becoming a world-class university in the 21st century is the development of materials research and materials education to a world-class level. 

Based on this goal, the guiding mission of the School of Materials Science and Engineering (SMSE) is to establish an internationally advanced-level platform including materials preparation, analysis & testing, and device research, and to strengthen cooperation with relevant academic research areas in other countries, thereby complementing each other’s advantages, and driving forward progress within the materials science discipline in Tsinghua University. In addition, the school should actively take part in relevant major national research missions, as well as develop primary innovation within the state innovation system through the realization of breakthroughs in critical materials research, in techniques and devices, and in major theoretical advances and innovations. Our school also recognizes the importance of promoting cooperation with enterprises, allowing the conversion of scientific and technological achievements into productive forces, thereby resulting in great economic benefits to meet the demands of the state, of social development, and of national defense, and to promote Tsinghua University as a knowledge innovation base for internationally advanced level academic studies and basic-research findings.

Education of students is one of the most fundamental and important missions of our school. For undergraduate student education, our primary focus is on nurturing the overall ability of the students, in line with the philosophy of “deepening in foundation, broadening in vision, emphasizing in practice, and strengthening in personal quality”. For graduate student education, both innovation ability and international competitiveness are emphasized, in line with a philosophy of “science as the foundation, creativity as the mission”. The SMSE is dedicated to its goals of building up a faculty with top-ranking competitiveness and developing research facilities with first-class standards, thereby allowing scientific research with the highest impact to be carried out, and facilitating the development of innovative educational programs, so as to attract and support talented young students to enroll and study in our school.

It is this spirit of “Materialist” that changes the world. Our school sincerely welcomes outstanding students and young scientists from all over the globe who are willing to devote themselves to materials science and engineering to join us and strive together for new discoveries in the world of “Materials”.