近几年，中国的许多高校在全球引才、国际合作交流方面不懈努力，寻找到了适合自己发展的国际化之路，南京信息工程大学就是其中之一。
近期，领英专访了南京信息工程大学相关领导，分享了高校在全球化人才招聘和管理方面的心得与经验。
深植国际化理念
集聚世界级人才
教育的国际合作与交流，是一个从横向维度与时代对标的过程，能有效应对世界发展格局的变化和知识创新，促进全球人才流动，促进跨国家、跨机构、跨主体的对话和互动，促进中国教育提升国际影响力。
想要从根本上提升创新能力和科研水平，就要搭建国际化平台，吸纳更多全球尖端人才。
建国初期，不少自海外知名高校学成归来的名师大家，如留学于哈佛大学的竺可桢先生、留学于帝国理工学院的涂长望先生等，呼吁成立新中国第一所气象高等学府，南京信息工程大学的前身——南京气象学院，因此于 1960 年应运而生。此后，一批自美国、前苏联等留学归国的青年学者白手起家，自一片荒芜中把南京气象学院建设成为全国 88 所重点大学之一。
60 多年来，南信大始终坚守并不断探索国际化办学路径。作为国家“双一流”建设高校和江苏高水平大学建设高峰计划 A 类建设高校，南信大坚持“开放、协同、特色”发展理念，秉承“面向行业、面向地方、面向国际”办学方向，不断提升国际影响力，吸引全球人才加入。
目前，南信大共有理工农艺文管法经教育等九个学科门类，有 8 个学科跻身 ESI 学科排名全球前 1%，其中地球科学和计算机科学进入 ESI 全球排名前 1‰。学校拥有全日制在校生约 35800 人，专任教师 2300 余人，其中具有一年以上境外研修经历的超过 67%。学校与美国哈佛大学、耶鲁大学，英国雷丁大学、曼彻斯特大学，澳大利亚麦考瑞大学、莫纳什大学等 100 多所著名高校，建立了人才培养、科学研究、师资培训的深层次合作关系。
近年来，南信大依托江苏首个海外院士工作站引进海外院士 18 名，他们分别来自欧洲科学院、美国国家科学院、加拿大皇家科学院、俄罗斯工程院等。长期在校工作的国际教师超过 100 人，其中博士占比达 89%，高级职称占比为 52%。
与此同时，设在校内的“联合国世界气象组织区域培训中心”及“联合国亚太经济与社会理事会培训中心”，已为 158 个国家和地区培养了 5100 余名高级科技人员和管理者，是全球学员覆盖范围最广、质量名列前茅的培训中心，多次获世界气象组织高度评价和嘉奖。
主动发力
提升中国高校的国际影响力
在与南信大领导的对话中，“主动” “牵头” “引领”等关键词，经常被提及。
这也与近几年中国科研力量在世界舞台的角色变化高度一致。随着国家实力的增强和对科研重视程度的提升，在许多领域，中国已经从参与者变为引领者。
这些变化，与南信大等高校不断主动寻求国际化发展路径、积极推动国际化人才梯队建设，密不可分。
1） 牵头成立国际联盟，提升自身影响力
2020 年 12 月，由南信大倡议，全球 20 多个国家、30 多家高校和科研院所共同发起成立了国际气象教育与科学研究协会。
协会的成立，让不同国家和地区的高校、科研机构能够共享教育信息和学术资源，探索跨国人才培养的新机制，提升了协同应对气候变化、环境污染、气象灾害等问题的能力，推动了全球气象共同体的创新发展。
而作为发起人，南信大更是极大提升了自身在气象教育和科研领域的国际影响力，为吸引更多全球尖端人才，奠定了良好基础。
2） 打造国际化学术平台，组建全球化师资队伍
除了成立国际联盟外，中外合作办学、搭建国际化平台，也是南信大提升世界影响力的重要举措。
中外合作办学方面，与英国雷丁大学合作的雷丁学院被评为教育部中外合作办学评估优秀院校，应届毕业生 91% 升学全球 Top100 高校；与爱尔兰东南理工大学合作成立的“南京信息工程大学沃特福德学院”，拓展了信息工科领域国际化人才培养的新模式。
南信大与哈佛大学合作建设“空气质量和气候联合实验室”，并以此为平台，与哈佛大学形成深入合作，共同进行人才培养、科学研究等工作。南信大还与英国贝尔法斯特女王大学共建气象光子学与光电探测国际合作联合实验室，与荷兰代尔夫特大学等共建系统建模与数据分析国际合作联合实验室等，各个学科都与具有世界先进水平的高校或科研院所建立了交流与合作关系，以保持在行业内的前沿性。
同时，通过设立海外人才服务站、外国专家工作室等方式，学校大力吸引全球人才，并根据发展目标，基于大数据分析，实施精准化定向引才。近五年，南信大共引进博士以上高层次人才 900 多人，其中海外高端人才达 318 人，建成了一支以海外院士、国家杰青等领衔的高水平国际化师资队伍。仅 2022 年就新增国家级人才 25 人、其中自主培育 10 人，实现了历史性突破。
3）推动高端专家走向国际，让世界听到中国声音
近几年，南信大通过加强与国际组织、国际专业学会间的合作，不断推动校内专家学者在国际重大科学计划、顶级学术期刊等领域担任重要职务，进一步提升了学校的国际学术影响力。
比如，在代表当代国际气候变化科学最新进展、对人类未来经济社会发展路径和应对气候变化对策起到导向作用的“政府间气候变化专门委员会”报告（IPCC Assessment Report）中，多位南信大教授成为主要作者，让世界听到了中国声音。
用资源助力科研
用平台赋能人才
顶尖人才是极度稀缺的宝贵资源，想要吸引、保留优秀人才，就需要从多个维度了解、满足人才的发展需求。
在南信大，除了提供具有竞争力的薪资待遇外，学校也在通过多种方式，为全球人才打造良好的工作及发展环境。
1）充足的资源支持，宽松的科研环境
《自然》杂志曾对全球 1.2 万名青年科学家做过一次调查，当被问及面临的最大挑战时，有 44% 的人选择：为获得资助展开竞争。
即便是国际顶尖的科研人才，也常常因资源所限而无法心无旁骛地钻研业务。那些能够提供宽松环境的高校和机构，无疑有着巨大的吸引力。
在许多有着海外背景的人才看来，南信大就是理想的选择。
“我们团队不缺项目，也不乏高水平成果。”曾在日本、美国、瑞典等多个国家学习工作的教育部特聘教授、中国科学院“百人计划”研究员冯兆忠自豪地说到。
在学校政策和资金支持下，冯兆忠团队从零开始搭建了国际一流的研发平台，吸引了多位尖端人才加入，其中包括曾位列美国斯坦福大学发布的 2021 年全球前 2% 顶尖科学家排行榜的塞浦路斯籍教授 Evgenios，他依托学校快速申请到江苏特聘教授和江苏双创博士，团队内的其他教师也几乎都一次性申请到了国家自然科学基金项目。
另外，南信大还为外籍专家提供了宽松的工作环境和充分的职业发展支持，不实行“非升即走”政策，针对海外人才提供职称评审绿色通道。
2） 聚焦学术前沿，探索尖端领域
在南信大，国际化不仅体现在师资力量上，更体现在与世界学术前端的接轨上。
南信大通过与耶鲁大学合作成立“耶鲁大学-南京信息工程大学大气环境中心”，实现了博士生联合培养，并将科研方向聚焦在国际气候环境最前沿的课题上，开展跨境、跨地区实验教学工作与科学研究，该合作模式被《Nature》作为中美科研合作的典范在评述文章中报道。
即便是本科生，也能接触到领域内最前沿的知识，为未来进一步深造，打下坚实基础。
南信大环境科学与工程学院院长、气候与环境变化研究领域的国际领军科学家廖宏教授在为本科生授课时，用最前沿的知识点和更接地气的授课方式，取代千篇一律的固定教材，为学生打开了大气环境研究的大门。
3） 完善的培养机制，让人才获得持续成长
凭借自身在地球科学等领域的学科优势，南信大通过多种方式，为在校师生提供了国际交流的渠道和持续成长的机会。
一方面，学校持续开展多层次、多元化的国际培训，为全球输送了大量顶尖人才。
另一方面，南信大也不断通过自身资源优势，为在校师生拓展赴国际组织实习任职的机会，为优秀人才的快速成长铺平道路。
比如，在海洋科学学院董昌明教授所带的学生中，有着“博士要出国，硕士要出海”这样一条不成文的规定，让科研人才更多与国际接轨。
借助与联合国世界气象组织签署的青年初级官员协议和实习生协议，近两年南信大已成功选派 2 名教师、8 名在校生赴世界气象组织任职及实习，并将在未来为更多优秀人才提供国际交流机会。
写在最后
南信大正在以开放包容的心态，积极探索多种方式，广纳全球尖端人才，未来可期！
An Interview with University of Information Science and Technology
In recent years, Chinese colleges and universities have made unremitting efforts to recruit global talents and engage in international exchange and cooperation. Customized patterns of internationalization are taking shape. Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) is a pioneer in the drive.
In an interview with LinkedIn, the NUIST leadership shared their experience in recruiting and supporting global talents.
1. An Internationalized Culture for World-class Talent
Through international exchange and cooperation, education institutions keep up with the times. It can help the institutions to respond to ongoing changes of the world and knowledge innovation, facilitate talents flow worldwide, promote dialogues and interaction across countries, institutions, and entities, and build up China’s international influence in education.
To improve innovation and research, the key is to build an internationalized platform and appeal to world-class talents.
In the early years when the PRC was established, many renowned scholars returning from top overseas universities advocated establishing a local higher education institution specializing in meteorology. Leading voices included Prof. Zhu Kezhen from Harvard University and Prof. Tu Changwang from Imperial College London. Their efforts led to the inauguration of Nanjing Meteorological Institute, the predecessor of NUIST, in 1960. Since then, scholars returning from the United States, the Soviet Union and other countries have worked diligently, lifting the institution from obscurity to one of the top 88 universities in 1978 in China.
Over the past 6 decades, NUIST has been adhering to internationalization. As a national "Double First-Class" university and an A-class high-level university in Jiangsu province, NUIST highlights the philosophy to stay "open, collaborative, distinctive" and adapts to the needs of "the industries, the local and the international communities". Growing international influence makes NUIST a magnet for talents worldwide.
Programs are offered in the nine discipline categories of science, engineering, agronomy, art, literature, management, law, economics, and education. Eight disciplines are among the top 1% ESI ranking. Geoscience and computer science are among the top 1‰ ranking. The university has about 35,800 full-time students and more than 2,300 full-time faculty members. 67% of the faculty have had the experiences of studying or working abroad for no lees than 1 year. It works closely with over 100 esteemed counterparts in student development, scientific research, and faculty training. Partners include Harvard University, Yale University, University of Reading, University of Manchester, Macquarie University, and Monash University, etc.
Based on Jiangsu’s first Overseas Academician Workstation, NUIST has introduced 18 academicians from the European Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the Royal Canadian Academy of Sciences, and the Russian Academy of Engineering, etc.. More than 100 international teachers are working at NUIST on long-term contracts. 89% of them hold doctor’s degrees and 52% senior professional titles.
Meanwhile, the WMO Regional Training Center Nanjing (UNESCAP Training Center) located on NUIST campus has trained more than 5,100 senior scientists and management personnel for 158 countries and regions. With the broadest distribution of trainees and best program quality, the Regional Training Center has received compliments and awards from WMO on many occasions.
2. Efforts to Enhance International Influence
Such words as “initiative, taking the lead, leadership” are frequently mentioned during the interview.
These words echo China’s rise in science and technology in the world. With growing national strength and priority newly given to research, China is an emerging forerunner in many domains.
NUIST has contributed to the transformation with its commitment to international development strategy and efforts to cultivate international talents.
A. Establishing an international association to enhance influence
Initiated by NUSIT, the International Association for Meteorological Education and Sciences (IAMES) was jointly established by more than 30 universities and research institutes from over 20 countries in December 2020.
The association has enabled universities and research institutes from different countries and regions to share educational information and academic resources, to explore new mechanisms for cross-border talent cultivation, to enhance coordinated response to climate change, environmental pollution, meteorological disasters and other challenges, and to promote innovative development of the global community of meteorological studies.
As the initiator, NUIST has gained international influence in meteorological education and sciences and laid a solid foundation to attract top talents from around the world.
B. Building international academic platforms to establish international faculty team
Another ingredient of NUIST’s growing influence is its cooperative education programs and international platforms.
Reading Academy, a joint institute co-constructed with the University of Reading, was recognized as a model of Sino-foreign cooperative education. 91% of its fresh graduates have been admitted to the world top 100 universities. NUIST Waterford Institute was hosted in partnership with South East Technological University in Ireland, crafting a new model of international talent training in information engineering.
The NUIST-Harvard Joint Laboratory for Air Quality and Climate has paved the way for in-depth cooperation between the two universities in personnel training and scientific research. NUIST has also established a joint lab in meteorological photonics and photoelectric detection with Queen's University Belfast, and a joint laboratory in system modeling and data analysis with Delft University. In all disciplines, NUIST has engaged in exchange and cooperation with leading universities or research institutes to stay at the academic forefront.
Moreover, Overseas Talents Workstations and Foreign Expert Studios are set up to attract global talents. A precise and targeted approach has been adopted to introduce talents, based on big data analysis and driven by development goals. In the past five years, NUIST has enrolled more than 900 high-caliber experts with doctor’s degree, including 318 from abroad, and built a highly competent international faculty team represented by foreign academicians and recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. 2022 is a groundbreaking year, with 25 state-level experts joining the faculty, of whom 10 were cultivated by NUIST.
C. Introducing high-end experts to the world and making the world hear China’s voice
In recent years, NUIST has scaled up cooperation with international organizations and professional societies. A batch of experts and scholars have assumed important positions in major international scientific projects and top academic journals, helping further expand its academic influence.
For example, several coauthors of IPCC Assessment Report are from NUIST. By reviewing the latest scientific progress in climate change, guiding economic and social development and advising on how to cope with climate change, they help to disseminate the voice of Chinese scientists to the world.
3. Empowering R&D and Talent with Resources and Platforms
Top talents are always in short supply. To attract and retain outstanding experts, it is necessary to understand and meet their needs of development in multiple dimensions.
To that end, NUIST combines competitive compensation with an enabling working environment for development.
A. Providing adequate resources and a friendly environment for scientific research
Nature once surveyed 12,000 young scientists around the world about their most pressing challenge. Competing for funding was the answer from 44% of respondents.
Even top researchers may be frustrated by lack of resources, hence those adequately resourced universities and institutions are more appealing for job seekers.
To many scholars with overseas background, NUIST is an ideal employer.
Mr. Feng Zhaozhong, who has lived and studied in Japan, the United States, Sweden and other countries, is a Distinguished Professor accredited by the Ministry of Education and a member of the "Hundred Talents Program" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He said proudly, "our team has no shortage of projects or high-quality results."
NUIST has generously provided supporting policies and funds for Prof. Feng and his team so that they could build a world-class R&D platform from scratch and recruit top talents including Cypriot professor Evgenios, a big name from the world’s top 2% scientists in 2021 Stanford ranking. With the endorsement of the university, he has been granted Distinguished Professorship and Doctoral Program for Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation by Jiangsu province. Almost every team member has successfully bid for projects from the National Natural Science Foundation at their first try.
International experts also benefit from the working environment and career path at NUIST. A green path is installed, where they are exempted from the "up-or-go" regime and can enjoy more flexibility in research and career development.
B. Focusing on the academic frontier
NUIST’s internationalization strategy is manifest not only in its faculty, but also in its close connection with the academic frontier.
Through a Joint Center on Atmospheric Environment with Yale University, NUIST carries out cooperative education of doctoral candidates, and focuses on most cutting-edge topics in this field for cross-border and trans-regional teaching and research. This model was acknowledged in a Nature commentary as a highlight of Sino-US scientific cooperation.
At NUIST, even undergraduates are exposed to the latest intellectual development, preparing themselves for further studies and academic excellence.
Professor Liao Hong, Dean of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering and a leading scientist in climate and environmental changes, replaces dated textbooks with improvised lectures and up-to-date knowledge to teach undergraduates, sparking their passion for atmospheric environment research.
C. Improving the training mechanism for continuous development
Leveraging on its prominence in geoscience and related disciplines, NUIST has provided its students and faculty with opportunities for international exchange and continuous development.
Through diversified international training programs at varied levels, NUIST has channeled a large number of talents to the world.
Moreover, it has enabled its students and faculty members to take internships or positions at international organizations, guiding them to a fast track of development.
Take Prof. Dong Changming of the School of Marine Science for example. To equip his students with international competence, he has a tacit rule that his postgraduate students should have experiences of overseas studies or training.
According to the agreement with WMO on junior professional official (JPO) program and internship, 2 lecturers and 8 students have been employed by WMO in recent years. More opportunities will be created for NUIST talents to participate in international exchange programs.
4. Summary
With an open and tolerant mindset, NUIST is welcoming talents from all over the world for a thriving future!
