To speed up the building process of the Double First-class Initiative, to enhance the cultivation of high-caliber academic talents and the Young Talents Introduction Plan to attract talents from home and abroad in large numbers, and to provide first-class academic environment, resources, services and benefits for them and build with concerted efforts an ideal platform for career development, innovation and the realization of academic aspirations, School of Civil Engineering conducted a series of academic visits in HK universities, from April 3rd to 6th, 2019. SCE delegation, constituted by Associate Chair Qiang Xie, Associate Chair Wengang Zhang，Director of General Office Peizhi Chen, and faculty representative Prof Zengshun Chen, visited The Hongkong University of Science and Technology HKUST, The University of Hongkong HKU, City University of Hongkong CUHK.
The recruit talk for HKUST started at 3PM sharp. More than 15 PhD candidates, research fellows, as well as the professors in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, including Prof Limin Zhang, Assoc Prof Tim Sze, Assoc Prof Gang Wang, attended it. During the talk, Prof Zhang Wengang introduced the general situation of city Chongqing, and Chongqing University, the history of civil engineering disciplines, faculty status, platform development, laboratory building and construction and policies of talent introduction. The participating scholars and students actively consulted and discussed with the delegation on the research team and centers, personnel welfare, annual appraisal criteria, and so on. At the same time, they exchanged contacts with our professors for further communication. After the seminar, Department Head, Professor HK. LO, and exchanged views on student exchange related work with SCE representatives. Prof. Xie Qiang expressed the school's willingness to cooperate with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of HKUST. Meanwhile, Professor LO introduced the various forms of joint education of the Department with other top universities in mainland China, and expressed his willingness for joint program with SCE, CQU. Later, the two sides exchanged views on the cultivation of talents as well as the near future collaboration between research faculty and staff.
After the meeting, Professor Zhang Limin accompanied the School delegation to visit the centrifuge lab, the structural laboratory and the geotechnical Laboratory of HKUST, which further strengthened the exchanges between the two sides in research and cooperation.
The recruit talk to research staff and PhD students from The University of Hongkong HKU and Hong Kong Polytechnic University was held on the morning session of 4th April at Haking Wong Building, HKU. Asst. Professor Deng Xiaowei of the University of Hong Kong as well as over ten young scholars from both universities attended the talk. Prof Deng exchanged views on the hot research topics of civil engineering with our professors. The research students present had extensive consultation and discussions on the school discipline development strategy, the way of oversea talent support and the main consumption level as well as living cost in Chongqing for better understanding.
After the meeting, Professor Francis TK Au, the Department head of Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, had in-depth communications on further scientific research and joint student programs between the two universities with the school delegation. Prof Au said that there are many similarities between Hong Kong and Chongqing, and he looked forward to the further cooperation and communications. On behalf of SCE, Professor Xie warmly invited Professor Au, as well as the researcher in the department to visit Chongqing University. Later, Professor Yue Zhongqi, Professor Lo SH, Professor Chen Ji and Professor Ye Hailong of the Department had extensive exchanges of views on the development of civil engineering discipline, personnel training as well as the other aspects.
In the afternoon, the school delegation visited the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hongkong, hosted by Assoc. Prof Wang Yu. Professor Lai Alvin CK, Associate Head of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, introduced the department history as well as the development strategy of the department, as well as the basic situation of City University of Hong Kong. Civil Engineering research in CUHK is now focusing the research and development in Smart City techniques. Both sides expressed their views on further joint student program and shared the willingness to cooperate, which lays solid foundation for further work. After that, the recruit talk was hold in LT-6, with more than 20 attendances from the young researchers and PhD graduates. Consultations were conducted on personnel and family welfare, career development and plan, youth talent program support, reference standards for talent introduction and cultivation in Chongqing University. Our school delegation also met with Professor Li Qiusheng, Asst. Professor Luo Xiaowei and discussed some relevant topics such as talent training for young scholars.
During the HK visit, the SCE delegation has conducted a series of recruit talks to the talents of the four universities in Hong Kong. More than 60 scholars participated in the talk and over 10 researchers among them submitted their CV to the delegation on site. Through face-to-face communications with young scholars and on-site replies to questions from them, the delegation understands what the young researcher really care about and what kind of support should be provided to them, academically, technically, financially, or emotionally. To further enhance young scholars' understanding of SCE, Chongqing University, the delegation’s visit sends sincere invitations to young scholars in Hong Kong.
