Nurturing talent

He Conghui, a PhD student at Tsinghua, is also a member of the research team that won the 2017 ACM Gordon Bell Prize. He is devoted to the intersection of Earth-system modeling and high-performance computing.

He says that interdisciplinary research does not simply mean researchers from different disciplines work together to solve a problem.

"Only when you have mastered the knowledge of different disciplines can you put up constructive ideas and develop the ability for critical thinking," He says.

As a computer science major, He stepped out of his "comfort zone" and began to study Earth-system science.

"I also benefited a lot from the open seminars that drew together experts from different countries and different disciplines. The brainstorming sessions generated a lot of inspiration and the culture of collaboration will be vital for developing interdisciplinary research," He says.

Fu compares expertise in interdisciplinary research to babies growing up in a multilingual environment.

"They may have difficulties at the beginning but they will have more potential to master different languages," Fu says.

Fu believes that China has a large talent pool for interdisciplinary research.

"China abounds in talent with a solid knowledge of mathematics and physics. Some experts are open-minded and willing to broaden their academic horizons," Fu says.