International connections at XJTLU

The University actively seeks and welcomes connections with international partners. Recent activities included:

• an XJTLU delegation visiting Southeast Asia;
• a delegation of academic staff from Liverpool’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences visiting XJTLU;
• a visit and academic cooperative agreement with the University of Nevada, Reno; and
• a visit from the president of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation.

 XJTLU delegation visits three Southeast Asian countries

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Information Professor Qiuling Chao led a delegation to visit education organisations in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia earlier this semester.

The aim was to explore potential markets for international student recruitment and to engage in discussions on talent cultivation for international students, student exchange programmes, and academic staff visits. In addition, it is part of XJTLU’s initiative to promote international education, including along the Belt and Road.

XJTLU delegation (left: Qijian Xie, Director, Centre for Student Affairs; third from right: Professor Qiuling Chao, XJTLU Vice President for Student Affairs; second from right: Xiaoqiong Li, Manager, XJTLU Global) with FLSS members

The delegation visited:

• the Foreign Language Specialized School (FLSS) affiliated to Vietnam National University. FLSS is a top school for gifted students in Vietnam;
• Newton Grammar School, which has three campuses in Hanoi with approximately 8,000 students in international programmes;
• Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, and Thammasat University, Thailand’s top three prestigious comprehensive universities. Chulalongkorn University and Mahidol University have existing cooperation agreements with XJTLU that include student exchanges. At Thammasat University, the delegation discussed potential student exchanges and XJTLU’s postgraduate recruitment programme;
• Concordian International School and Vajiravudh College, both well-known international high schools in Thailand, and Center for Language Education and Cooperation-Bangkok;
• principals and education counsellors from top high schools in Malaysia. The discussion included promotion of student exchanges and interactions and the potential establishment of a scholarship for Malaysian students. A memorandum of cooperation was signed between XJTLU and the 10 schools; and
• Universiti Malaya, Sunway University, and the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus, where they discussed potential student exchanges and postgraduate recruitment collaborations.

From left, Xiaoqiong Li, Qijian Xie, and Professor Qiuling Chao with representatives from Thammasat University

XJTLU welcomes University of Liverpool Health and Life Sciences delegation

Last month, Professor Peter McCormick of the University of Liverpool led a delegation of academic staff from Liverpool’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences to visit XJTLU. Professor McCormick is Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Post-Graduate Affairs and International Partnerships, and Chair in Pharmacology at Liverpool.

The visit’s purpose was to explore additional cooperation and promote the flow and exchange of students and staff between the two universities, said Professor McCormick.

“The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool has several internationally top-ranked disciplines and strong basic research capabilities,” he said. “The strong cooperation between the two universities in this field will surely achieve a win-win situation.”

The delegation met with representatives from XJTLU’s Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy and School of Science on topics including potential articulation routes, research exchange projects for postgraduate students, and the XJTLU-University of Liverpool Joint Centre for Pharmacology and Therapeutics. In addition, the delegation visited Suzhou’s BioBAY, the National Centre of Technology Innovation for Biopharmaceuticals (NCTIB), and biotechnology enterprises.

The delegation had a lunch exchange with XJTLU postgraduate students to discuss research and network, and provided Year One and Year Two students with detailed introductions to the University of Liverpool’s pharmacology, microbiology, data science, and other undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Dr Meng Huee Lee of XJTLU thanks Professor Peter McCormick of the University of Liverpool after Professor McCormick’s Wisdom Talk

XJTLU signs academic cooperation agreement with University of Nevada, Reno

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) in the US recently signed an agreement with XJTLU that paves the way for international academic exchange and cooperation.

The universities will explore collaborations in areas including educational ideology, research and innovation, and the sharing of academic resources.

The agreement was signed as part of a visit to XJTLU by a delegation led by Dr Jeffrey Thompson, Executive Vice President and Provost at UNR. Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President for Student Affairs and Information at XJTLU, welcomed the UNR delegation.

Professor Qiuling Chao of XJTLU and Dr Jeffrey Thompson of UNR sign a cooperation agreement

President of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation visits University

Dr Mohammad Abdullah, President of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), recently visited XJTLU to discuss potential collaborations.

Located in Dubai, DIDI offers a multidisciplinary design degree to foster creative thinkers, designers, and innovators.

Dr Abdullah said that the research-led and student-centred education of XJTLU aligns well with the vision of DIDI.

“We teach students the abilities of critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation, which are what I’ve been hearing a lot during my visit at XJTLU,” said Dr Abdullah. “We’ve already started the collaboration with XJTLU with two short courses, and we hope to take the partnership forward in the future.”

Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU, said that XJTLU is searching for more opportunities to develop collaborations and partnerships in different parts of the world.

“The Middle East would be one potential site for XJTLU to cooperate and develop something new, and the vision of DIDI is in line with our philosophy about future education,” he said.

Dr Mohammad Abdullah, President of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) (left), meets with XJTLU staff, including Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of the University (right)

By XJTLU Global, XJTLU Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, XJTLU Learning Mall, Yi Qian and Precious Chibeze
Edited by Tamara Kaup and Patricia Pieterse
Photos courtesy of XJTLU Global, XJTLU Wisdom Lake Academy of Pharmacy, and XJTLU Learning Mall and by Jingrui Duan