GTIIT held a seminar on "Future Functional Materials under Extreme Conditions". Specialists and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and many well-known universities across the country gathered together. After the meeting, they accepted interviews from GT student journalists, talked with students about their life experiences such as education and scientific research, and put forward valuable suggestions for the future development of GT students.

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Duan Wenhui, Professor of the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, mainly researches in the fields of computational condensed matter physics and computational materials science. His research interests include theoretical and computational design of condensed matter and functional materials, electronic structure of solids, first-principles calculations, low-dimensional physics, quantum materials and their anomalous properties, etc. He won the second prize of the National Natural Science Award twice (2000 and 2014), the Ye Qisun Physics Award (2013), three science and technology awards from the Ministry of Education, and was elected as a Member of the American Physical Society.

Seize the opportunity and keep on moving

Prof. Duan recalled the scene when he considered which university he would like to go, "Like many of you now, I was very confused at the time. The choice of condensed matter physics was the result of my parents' suggestions." However, after learning about the professional content, he became interested in this field and persevered. Coinciding with the development in the field of materials, he seized the opportunity and embarked on the road of scientific research.

Prof. Duan said that his daily routine was "home-lab-classroom". "Scientific research is arduous, and the life of scientific researchers is also very boring. They need to do research in the laboratory day by day. It requires researchers to endure loneliness, and at the same time have strong belief and determination. Only when you keep on doing it, can you overcome the difficulties and bottlenecks. The road of scientific research is long and difficult, and we need to persevere and face it positively!"

Prof. Duan believes that it is very important to have a "live in the moment" mentality. "No matter what stage you are at now, cherish every day, actively adjust your mentality, give priority to the present, and when the opportunity comes, you will then be fully prepared to seize it. The road to success requires not only hard work, but also a little luck."

Scientific research and education have a long way to go

As a researcher, he devotes himself to research; as a teacher, he is erudite and cautious. Prof. Duan shoulders the dual responsibility of technological innovation and talent cultivation, and has become a role model for students, inspiring countless students to continue to explore in their professional fields. Among his students, some were teaching at the Weizmann Academy of Sciences in Israel. He laughed and said that he and GTIIT also have a bond.

Prof. Duan came to GTIIT to participate in the "Basic and Applied Research of Future Functional Materials under Extreme Conditions" project seminar, and spoke highly of GTIIT's research environment and teaching atmosphere. "GTIIT is a very new and modern university with teachers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and an English teaching environment. The fact that GTIIT's scientific research team can win this major project is enough to show its scientific research strength and unlimited potential. The campus is located in the Chaoshan area, and thus has a very unique culture." He hoped that this unique atmosphere will encourage more and more outstanding students to devote themselves to scientific research, maintain curiosity and creativity, persevere on the road of scientific research and forge ahead!

Journalist's Note

When I learned that I was going to interview Prof. Duan, I was both nervous and excited. It was my first close encounter with an academician, and I was even a little flustered. However, during the conversation, I found that Prof. Duan was very amiable, humble and polite. He used his life experience to give me advice, and I gained a lot in terms of professional knowledge and life planning.

When talking about professional knowledge, Prof. Duan told me that the undergraduate study of materials science is far from enough. If you want to dig into this major, you need more and deeper learning. What impressed me was when Prof. Duan told me, "No matter what stage you are at, you must live in the moment and face the life with a positive attitude." There are many unknowns in the future, so seize the day!

Prof. Duan and GTIIT student journalist Hui Chunqi

Text/Photos: Hui Chunqi, GTIIT News & Public Affairs