In the height of summer, the banks of the Yong River teem with vitality.
On June 22, the 2026 Collaborative PhD Training Programme Graduation Ceremony of the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT) was held. As the very first to share the journey and witness the university's founding chapter, a total of 14 collaborative PhD graduates successfully completed their studies, setting sail from the Yong River toward new horizons.
Inaugural Cohort: A Testament to Forged Excellence in Innovation
Doctoral students constitute a vital force in the national innovation system, and they represent a defining hallmark of EIT's high-caliber foundation, high-standard endeavor to build a new type of research university.
EIT has established collaborative PhD training programs with four world-class universities: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Science and Technology of China, and the University of Warwick. Since 2022, the university has enrolled five consecutive cohorts of collaboratively trained PhD students.
Group photo of the Graduation Ceremony
As the very first cohort of collaborative PhD graduates since EIT's establishment, they have journeyed in tandem with the university's founding trajectory. They stand as a living testament to the early successes of the university's homegrown model for cultivating top-tier innovative talent, collectively achieving an impressive and distinctive track record:
In pioneering research spanning cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, scientific computing, advanced manufacturing, and new materials, the 2022 cohort has published over 100 papers in top international journals and conferences, including Nature Communications, Physical Review Letters, CVPR, and NeurIPS, and has filed 18 patent applications.
Among the 14 graduates, two were selected for the Doctoral Student Special Program of the Young Science and Technology Talents Cultivation Project initiated by the China Association for Science and Technology, five received the National Scholarship for Doctoral Students, three were named Outstanding Graduates of Shanghai, two were recognized as Outstanding Graduates of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and nine were honored with the Academic Excellence Award for Collaborative PhD Graduates of EIT.
In terms of career paths, several graduates have received offers from esteemed institutions and leading tech companies, including the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jimei University, and Tencent. Others will pursue postdoctoral research at top universities and research institutes worldwide, such as Rice University, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Sustaining a Spirit of Innovation, Embracing National Responsibility
Address by President Shiyi Chen
In his address, Professor Shiyi Chen, President of EIT and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, extended warm congratulations to all the graduates and expressed sincere gratitude to their dedicated supervisors, supportive families and friends, and partner institutions, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
He spoke with fond reflection on the evolution the graduates had shared with EIT, a transformation from the ground up: "When EIT was still merely an advanced research institute, you had the courage to choose it. Over the past four years, you have witnessed the transition from temporary dormitories to a brand‑new campus, from temporary laboratories to world‑class facilities, and from exploring a collaborative training model to achieving resource sharing across three universities and the mentorship of dual supervisors. Through your diligence and achievements, you have penned the inaugural chapter of higher education for your alma mater. This journey of shared struggle will forever be inscribed in the legacyof EIT."
Looking to the future, President Shiyi Chen offered two heartfelt hopes. First, he urged them to keep the spirit of innovation alive—to confront "bottleneck" challenges head-on, to remain relentlessly curious about frontier science, and to let innovation be the torch that lights their way forward. Second, he called on them to embrace a sense of responsibility to the nation. As young research leaders in a new era, they find themselves in a defining period for building a strong nation through education, science, and technology. He encouraged them to stay true to their scholarly aspirations, to advance in step with the country and the times, and to leverage their expertise to serve national development and drive societal progress.
"As the sun breaks over the East, set sail now for the mountains and seas beyond. The road ahead may be long, but you will reach your destination if you keep walking; the task may be difficult, but you will accomplish it if you persevere," President Shiyi Chen concluded. "Wherever your journeys take you, EIT will always be your home and your staunchest supporter."
A Moment of Honor: A Testament to Perseverance
Every honor conferred is a crowning of a journey of relentless inquiry.
At the ceremony, the university honored its first 14 collaboratively trained doctoral graduates with a grand award and certificate conferral ceremony, commemorating their unwavering strides in the pursuit of excellence.
Mr. Bo Jin announced the recipients of the Academic Excellence Award
Mr. Bo Jin, the Party Committee Secretary of EIT, announced the recipients of the Academic Excellence Award for 2026 Collaborative PhD Graduates of EIT, and Professor Dongxiao Zhang, Executive Vice President and Provost of EIT, Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, presented each awardee with a certificate and a commemorative trophy.
Professor Xuemei Ding annouced the list of Collaborative PhD Graduates
Subsequently, Professor Xuemei Ding, Special Advisor to the President, read the list of collaborative PhD certificate recipients. President Shiyi Chen then conferred the certificates upon each graduate, with their supervisors standing by as witnesses.
All members of the Presidential Executive Council, Principal Investigators from across all colleges, heads of administrative departments, the 2022 cohort of collaborative PhD graduates, other current collaborative PhD students, and the graduates' families and friends gathered to witness this solemn and profoundly historic moment. The ceremony was presided over by Professor Ping Wang, Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Chair Professor of EIT.
Messages from Faculty and Students: On Growth and the Journey Ahead
Remarks by Liang Xu, Representative of the Academic Excellence Awards
Liang Xu, Representative of the Academic Excellence Award recipients and a 2022 cohort of PhD graduate specializing in computer vision, has dedicated his research to human-centric action and interaction understanding and generation.
"I am grateful to EIT for giving me both a quiet place to do deep research and a broad platform on which to grow," he said. "Research is never about a sudden flash of inspiration. Far more often, it's about persevering through endless trial and error. Going forward, I plan to continue along this path and work to translate our technology into real-world settings, such as medical rehabilitation."
Remarks by Qinglong Cao, Representative of the Graduates
Qinglong Cao, Representative of the Graduates, also from the 2022 cohort, recalled arriving at EIT when the campus and labs were still under rapid construction—a time brimming with uncertainty, yet equally full of possibility.
"We didn't just witness EIT's birth—we helped shape it. We are the final note of its first movement, and at the same time, the starting point for countless new journeys," he said. His doctoral work focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence and scientific discovery, exploring how to integrate scientific principles and domain knowledge into AI models. After graduation, he will join the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory as a Young Researcher, where he will continue his work in AI for Science.
Remarks by Professor Jie Shen, Representative of the Graduate Supervisors
Professor Jie Shen, Representative of the Graduate Supervisors, Dean of the School of Mathematic Sciences in the College of Science of EIT, remarked that the cultivation of the inaugural doctoral cohort offers the most eloquent testimony to the University's academic excellence. Doctoral training imparts far more than a certificate; it instils a scrupulous scholarly mindset, robust professional rigor, the resilience to weather adversity, and the intellectual audacity to push boundaries. He encouraged the graduates to remain unwavering in their pursuit of truth and excellence, to keep their pioneering spirit ablaze, and to press forward with resolve—grounded in their commitment to the nation.
Remarks by Jian Xu, Representative of the Current Student
Jian Xu, Representative of the Current Student and a PhD student enrolled in 2024, observed that the inaugural cohort—with no established precedents to follow—forged a new path into the unknown, transforming the label "EIT PhD student" from a mere entry in the admissions prospectus into a living embodiment of excellence. On behalf of all current students, he conveyed his deep gratitude and heartfelt best wishes to these pioneering graduates.
Since its inception, EIT has remained firmly committed to serving the nation's major strategic needs. It positions its collaboratively trained doctoral programs as the strategic cornerstone in developing an independent model for cultivating top-tier innovative talent. The successful graduation of this inaugural cohort marks a significant milestone on EIT's journey to build a new type of research university from a high-caliber foundation and with high standards. It also represents the early successes of the university's pioneering efforts in a novel collaborative education model—defined by dual supervisors, a dual-campus experience, and interdisciplinary training.
They are the first graduates in EIT's history—the first sparks the university launches into the world and into the future.
May they uphold the scientific spirit and the deep sense of commitment to the nation forged here, as they venture to universities, research institutes, and the frontiers of industry. May they gaze at the stars, delve ever deeper into the broader world, and shine in their own fields, devoting their energy and research endeavors to the advancement of the nation.
