DeanoftheInstituteforInterdisciplinaryInformationSciencesofTsinghuaUniversity,worldrenownedexpertoncomputerscience,winneroftheA.M.TuringAwardin2000,andfounderofatrialcomputerscienceclassatTsinghuaUniversity.
significance
“TocultivatetalentsinChina,andtomakebreakthroughsatthesci&techforefrontinthiscountryhaveanentirelydifferentsignificanceforme.”HEisthesoleChineseevertowintheA.M.TuringAward,regardedastheNobelPrizeofComputing.HehasalsobeenelectedafellowoftheU.S.NationalAcademyofSciences,afellowoftheAmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences,andasaforeignmemberoftheChineseAcademyofSciences.
Thisisthemanwhoin2004quithistenureatPrincetonUniversityandjoinedTsinghuaUniversity.ThenextyearheestablishedatrialcomputerscienceclassatthisprestigiousChineseuniversity.In2011heestablishedtheTsinghuaInstituteforInterdisciplinaryInformationSciences,China’sfirst,andtheCenterforQuantumInformation.Andin2014herenouncedhisU.S.nationality,andbecameafullmemberoftheChineseAcademyofSciences.
AndrewChi-ChihYao,deanoftheInstituteforInterdisciplinaryInformationSciences,TsinghuaUniversity,personifiestheverybestofChinesescientists;thosecommittedtothemotherland’ssci&techresearchandeducation.
DistinguishedCareer
Dr.YaowasborninShanghaiin1946,andmovedtoTaiwanwithhisparentsatanearlyage.Aftergraduatingfromuniversitythere,hewenttotheU.S.forfurtherstudy.HereceivedhisPhDinphysicsatHarvardUniversityin1972,andaPhDincomputersciencefromtheUniversityofIllinoisin1975.From1975to2004Dr.YaotaughtatMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,StanfordUniversity,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,andPrincetonUniversity.
Dr.Yao’sstudyspanscomputerscienceandquantuminformation.Hiscomplexity-basedtheoryofpseudorandomnumbergeneration,cryptography,andcommunicationcomplexityhashadlastingimpactontheveryfoundationsofmoderncryptography,computersecurity,computationalcomplexity,andrandomizedcomputation.HistheorywonhimtheA.M.TuringAwardin2000,generallyrecognizedasthehighestdistinctionincomputerscience.
NotwithstandinghissuccessintheU.S.,Dr.YaolefthisteachingjobatPrincetoninJune2004,andacceptedanofferfromChina’sTsinghuaUniversity,adecisionthatconfoundedmanypeople.“TocultivatetalentsinChina,andtomakebreakthroughsatthesci&techforefrontinthiscountryhaveanentirelydifferentsignificanceforme,”heexplained.
Inaugurationof“Yao’sClass”
In2004,China’scomputersciencesectorwaswellbehindthatofdevelopedcountries.Dr.Yaobeliev7edthatenhancingundergraduateeducationandcultivatingworld-levelprofessionalsforfuturehighersci&techresearchwasthefirststeptowardschangingthissituation.
In2005Tsinghuaopenedatrialsoftwarescience(laterchangedtocomputerscience)classthroughapartnershipwithMicrosoftResearchAsia(MSRA)whosestudentswereenrolledfromfreshmenandsophomoresofvariousmajors.Asmastermindofthiscourse,Dr.YaopersonallydesignedandperiodicallyupdatedthecurriculumofthelaterdubbedYao’sClass.Hisaimwastocreateachallengingprogramthatwouldhelpitsstudentstodiscovertheirtrueinterestsandstrengths.InalettertoallTsinghuastudentsofMarch2006Dr.Yaowrote:“Ourgoalisnottoproducesoftwaredevelopersandprogrammers,buttheworld’sbestcomputerprofessionals.”
Fromtheverybeginning,Yaoenvisionedaninternationalprogramforthisclass.BesidesitsallEnglishcurriculum,itnurturesinstudentsaglobalvisionbyengagingtheminscientificresearchandregularinternationalexchanges.Theseeffortshavepaidoff.JohnHopcroft,anotherTuringAwardwinner,commendedYao’sClassasconstitutingtheworld’sbestundergraduatestudentsandbestundergraduateeducation.
Bytheendof2016,Yao’sClassstudentshadpublished121theses,and42wereinvitedtointernationalconferencestopresenttheirpapers.Onethirdofthestudentshavealsodeliveredresearchresults,ararefeatevenforgloballytop-rankinguniversities.“Thisisnowaninternationallyrecognizedbrandofundergraduateeducation.Anditsgraduatesaresoughtafterbythebestresearchinstitutesinothercountries,”Dr.Yaosaid.“Forinstance,Princetonhasofferedninefull-tuitionscholarshipsthisyeartoourgraduates.”
In2011YaofoundedtheInstituteforInterdisciplinaryInformationSciencesinTsinghuaUniversity,whichstudiescomputerscienceandrelatedareas,includingquantum,energy,electricity,andeconomy.Hewentontoestablishaquantumcomputerlabandafinancialsci&techlab,amongotherachievements.“Ourquantumcomputerlabistrulyaworldleaderinthispromisingsector.Wehaverealizedamultiplexedquantummemorywith225individuallyaccessiblememorycells,aworldrecord,”Yaosaid.TheremarkableprogressthelabhasmadeinsuchashorttimespanisnothingshortofamiracleintheeyesofphysicistsinChinaandinternationally.
“MoreOverseasChineseWillReturn”
SincehisreturntoChina,Dr.YaohasencourageddozensofotheroverseasChinesescientiststomakethesamedecision.“Chinaisdevelopingfasteconomically.What’smore,itgiveshighprioritytoscientificresearch,soshowinghighlycommendableforesight,”Dr.Yaosaid.
Dr.YaoisawarethatmostYao’sClassgraduateswillgoabroadforfurtherstudy,astheU.S.isstillattheglobalforefrontofcomputerscience.Butheexpectsmanywillcomeback.“Itisunlikelythateveryoneofthemwillreturn.Butifonlyhalfofthemostaccomplishedgraduatesdo,thiswillstillbeoftremendousbenefittoChina’sdevelopment.”
Yaoobservedthatiftheworkandresearchconditionsintheirhomecountrywereofasimilarstandardtothoseabroad,mostChinesescientistswouldchoosetoworkinChina.HethereforeproposedthatChinesesci&techinstitutesofferinstitutionalguaranteestooverseasChinesetalentsofthesamelivingstandardsastheyenjoyabroad;andwhat’smore,thattheseentitiescreateadynamicenvironmentforscientificresearch.“ThiswillconvincethesescientiststhatreturningtoChinaistheirbestchoice.”Yaobelievesthat,givenChina’sadvantagesasregardsitstalentreservesandscientificresearchfunding,itwillnotbelongbeforethecountrywelcomesaninfluxofreturningoverseasprofessionals.
Dr.YaogaveuphisU.S.citizenshipin2014,andbecameanacademicianoftheChineseAcademyofSciencesinFebruary2017.Hesaidofthisdecision:“Iamproudandgladtobe100percentChineseoncemore.”
Dr.Yaoataclass.
Dr.Yaoshowsvisitorshisquantumcomputerlab.