Professor Simon Jones: ‘XJTLU students consistently impress me with their resilience, curiosity, and ambition’

Originally published on the University of Liverpool’s website as part of its 20 Stories series for XJTLU’s 20th anniversary.

Professor Simon Jones is Dean for Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Here, he reflects on 20 years of XJTLU.

Where it started

When I began working closely with XJTLU in 2023, it was already a confident and ambitious institution, built on a bold idea and a strong partnership.

What struck me immediately was not just how much XJTLU had grown, but the sense of shared purpose across its community of staff and students who cared deeply about education, opportunity, and what this university could become.

My role

I have always seen my role as a facilitator rather than a director: helping people navigate complexity, understand one another, and keep conversations moving constructively across institutional and national boundaries.

Much of this work happens quietly, through listening, relationship‑building, and creating space for others’ ideas to flourish rather than imposing solutions.

At times, this means acting as a bridge or translator between different academic cultures and systems, with the aim of enabling collaboration while protecting what makes XJTLU distinctive.

The ambition and scale of XJTLU

XJTLU’s ambition has always been striking, not only in its scale, but in its determination to re‑imagine what an international university could be.

In less than 20 years, it has grown into a major global academic community, with busy campuses, a broad disciplinary reach, and students who see themselves as part of something genuinely international.

Sustaining quality, identity, and humanity at this scale is not easy, and the fact that XJTLU continues to do so is a testament to the commitment of its people.

The people behind XJTLU’s success

The success of XJTLU over the past two decades has come from the hard work of many, but above all from its students.

XJTLU students consistently impress me with their resilience, curiosity, and ambition – often navigating new academic cultures, languages, and expectations simultaneously, and doing so with confidence.

Staff deserve equal credit for building and sustaining an academic environment that supports students while continuing to evolve and innovate.

Memories to last a lifetime

Some of the most meaningful moments for me have been personal and understated: hearing students reflect on how XJTLU expanded their sense of what was possible, or seeing staff collaborations grow into genuine academic communities across institutions.

These moments are a reminder that partnerships succeed not because of structures alone, but because people choose to work together with trust and respect.

Looking ahead

As XJTLU enters its next chapter, I hope it continues to place students at the heart of its mission, and to value dialogue, openness, and collaboration as drivers of its future success.