Dr. Xu-Ming Xie (doctorate from Tokyo Tech)
Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering
Tsinghua University

I earned my doctorate at Tokyo Tech in 1990 and have served on the faculty of Tsinghua University since 1992. My career has thus spanned education and research at two of the foremost science and technology universities in Japan and China.

Tokyo Tech and Tsinghua University have engaged in wide-ranging exchange since 1986 and have conducted a joint graduate program since 2004. The joint graduate program has proved popular as we have overcome the inevitable obstacles, and I am proud to take part in conducting the program. Students in the program receive education and conduct research at both Tokyo Tech and Tsinghua University and can receive degrees from both institutions. The program prepares the participating students for international careers. It fulfills a vital role in promoting scientific and cultural exchange between two Asian neighbors.

Play hard, study hard
My dealings with the students in the joint graduate program occasion happy memories of my five years as an international student at Tokyo Tech. I made the most of my time in Japan in the spirit of yoku asobi, yoku manabe (play hard, study hard), and I am forever grateful for the understanding guidance that I received from professors Keizo Miyasaka (now professor emeritus), Akihiko Tanioka, and Masao Sumita in the Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials.

The joint graduate program between Tokyo Tech and Tsinghua University is occasioning increased interchange between faculty members, as well as between students. It thus promises to stimulate collaboration in research. I am more excited than ever about the huge potential for valuable exchange between our two universities.