The University of California, Los Angeles, has established a standalone Department of Digital Humanities, becoming the first U.S. university to offer a bachelor’s degree in the field, according to the university. The move elevates digital humanities from an interdisciplinary program within UCLA’s humanities division to a separate academic department, reflecting the field’s growth at the university and its expanding role at the intersection of technology and humanistic inquiry. Digital humanities brings together approaches from the humanities, computing and related fields to examine both technology and human experience. Scholars may use digital tools to study literature, language, history and culture, while also examining how technologies shape individuals, institutions and societies. At UCLA, the field has been developing for more than two decades. The university launched its Program in Digital Humanities in 2010 as part of the UCLA College Division of Humanities. The program was initially expected to serve about 25 students a year. Demand has grown substantially since then. More than 200 UCLA undergraduates minored in digital humanities during the 2025–26 academic year, making it the largest minor in the UCLA College and the second-largest undergraduate minor universitywide. In total, about 750 undergraduates and more than 30 graduate students took digital humanities courses during the year. The new department will offer an undergraduate major leading to a bachelor’s degree, giving students a dedicated academic pathway into a field that has traditionally been housed within existing humanities programs, research centers or interdisciplinary initiatives. Dominic Thomas, chair of the new department and UCLA’s Madeleine L. Letessier Professor of French and Francophone Studies, said the department reflects the university’s view that digital humanities is both a viable area of study and an important component of contemporary undergraduate education. “We need to be thinking and designing curricula that will define what our graduates end up doing as they go about imagining and shaping new futures in the global world,” Thomas said. The curriculum will combine technical and humanistic training. Students will learn to use digital tools to investigate human culture, history and experience while also examining how those technologies are designed and deployed, whose perspectives they represent and how they affect society. That approach is intended to distinguish digital humanities from a purely technical education in computing or data science. The department will draw on expertise in humanities disciplines as well as data science, social sciences and information studies. “UCLA Digital Humanities has humanities at its core and also is interdisciplinary in nature,” said Alexandra Minna Stern, dean of the Humanities Division. She said the combination of disciplines would create opportunities for students to engage with questions that cannot be addressed through a single field. The creation of the department also comes as universities grapple with how to incorporate artificial intelligence and other rapidly developing digital technologies into undergraduate education. For digital humanities programs, that presents a dual challenge: preparing students to work with new technologies while equipping them to critically evaluate their cultural, social and ethical consequences. At UCLA, the new department is positioned to address both sides of that challenge. Its establishment marks a shift in digital humanities from a largely interdisciplinary area of study toward a formal academic discipline with its own department, curriculum and undergraduate degree.
According to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), mathematician Yurii Nesterov, who recently received the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), has joined CUHK-Shenzhen full-time this year. He serves as a professor in the School of Data Science and a professor at the Center for AI Theory and Systems at the Shenzhen Loop Area Institute, an experimental zone for cultivating top-tier innovative talent in artificial intelligence. Professor Yurii Nesterov is a world-leading scholar in optimization theory. He is a foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a member of the European Academy of Sciences, and a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences of Montenegro. His research, including his development of accelerated gradient methods, has laid important foundations for modern machine learning and optimization algorithms and has had a profound impact on mathematics, computer science, and artificial intelligence. Speaking about his decision to join CUHK-Shenzhen full-time, Nesterov said in an interview: “It was actually somewhat accidental. In 2023, I received an award from the World Association of Top Scientists, and the organizers arranged for me to visit several Chinese universities, including universities in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. I found Shenzhen very attractive — it is active, young, and full of opportunities and talented professionals. In 2024, I received an offer for a professorship from CUHK-Shenzhen and decided to give it a try. I worked here as a part-time professor for about three years and found that it was indeed a very good place. So when they proposed that I join full-time, I was very happy to accept. “The Shenzhen Loop Area Institute mainly works with young researchers who have already earned their Ph.D.s, while CUHK-Shenzhen focuses on educating and training new students and researchers. The collaboration between the two is very important.” Nesterov on ShenzhenSpeaking about his impressions of Shenzhen, Nesterov said the city’s pace of development had been particularly striking. “What surprised me most was how quickly Shenzhen is changing. I came to Shenzhen in 2024, and over the past two and a half years, many things have rapidly changed for the better. Shenzhen today is much better than it was in 2024. Everything is moving forward, and that is very encouraging. “Shenzhen has many advantages. First, it has a young and dynamic generation, good universities and research centers, and a great deal of economic activity, particularly in high-tech industries. Its geographical location is also excellent, making it a major regional hub. So it really is a very good place to work and live.” Nesterov also praised the level of mathematics education in Shenzhen, saying that it had reached an internationally leading standard. “I think the level of mathematics education in Shenzhen is very high and has reached a world-class standard. This year, two young Chinese mathematicians received the Fields Medal, one of whom is from Shenzhen. This demonstrates how important China has become in science. “For basic mathematics education, I would suggest teaching not only pure mathematics but also more applied mathematics — teaching people how to build models that can be solved by computers and are numerically tractable.” A Major Year of RecognitionAt the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians, Nesterov received the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize, becoming the sixth recipient worldwide since the award was established. The Gauss Prize is one of the highest honors in applied mathematics and is among the most prestigious awards in the mathematical sciences, alongside the Fields Medal and the Chern Medal. Earlier in 2026, Nesterov also received the 2026 NAAI Academy Award from the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI) for his foundational contributions to convex optimization theory and their far-reaching impact on modern machine learning. The NAAI Academy Award is the highest honor bestowed by NAAI. It recognizes outstanding scientists whose work has made historically significant contributions to the theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence and its core scientific questions.
July 23–30, 2026: The 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) was held in Philadelphia, United States. At the opening ceremony on July 23, the recipients of the 2026 Fields Medal were officially announced. Four mathematicians—Hong Wang, Yu Deng, John Pardon, and Jacob Tsimerman—received the award. Among them, Hong Wang and Yu Deng are Chinese mathematicians, making China the first country in Asia to produce two Fields Medalists in the same ICM. Notably, Hong Wang and Yu Deng are both alumni of the Class of 2007 in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University. The School has long been regarded as the "premier department of China's premier university." At this year's ICM, 14 Peking University faculty members and alumni were invited to deliver lectures, setting a new institutional record and accounting for more than half of all invited talks by Chinese scholars. Each ICM features approximately 200 invited speakers, who present major advances and breakthroughs in their respective fields. These invited lectures represent the highest level of contemporary mathematical research. Being invited to speak at the ICM is considered one of the highest academic honors in mathematics and serves as an important mark of international recognition. With alumni Hong Wang and Yu Deng receiving the Fields Medal and 14 faculty members and alumni delivering invited lectures, Peking University made an outstanding showing at the 2026 ICM, highlighting its leading role on the international mathematical stage and its exceptional strength in cultivating world-class mathematical talent. The 14 Invited Speakers Songxi ChenSongxi Chen received his B.S. (1983) and M.S. (1988) in Mathematics from Beijing Normal University, and his Ph.D. in Statistics from the Australian National University in 1993. He previously served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, and tenured Associate Professor and Professor at Iowa State University. He joined Peking University in 2008, holding appointments in both the Guanghua School of Management and the School of Mathematical Sciences. In 2021, he was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on ultrahigh-dimensional statistics, environmental statistics, and nonparametric statistical methods. At the ICM, he delivered a 45-minute invited lecture titled "Signal Detection in High-Dimensional Statistics." Xinyi YuanXinyi Yuan studied at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University, from 2000 to 2003, earning his B.S. in Mathematics, and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2008. He was a Clay Research Fellow (2008–2011), Assistant Professor at Princeton University (2011–2012), Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley (2012–2020), before returning to Peking University as Professor in 2020. His research interests include number theory and arithmetic geometry, particularly Arakelov geometry, algebraic dynamical systems, Diophantine geometry, Shimura varieties, and special values of L-functions. His ICM lecture was titled "Quantitative Questions in the Mordell Conjecture." Xin SunXin Sun earned his B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2007–2011), and his Ph.D. from MIT in 2017. He subsequently spent three years as a Simons Fellow at Columbia University. In 2020, he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Professor, spent 2022–2023 as a visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), and returned full-time to Peking University in 2023. He is currently Professor at the Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research (BICMR). His research centers on probability theory and mathematical physics, with emphasis on random geometry, statistical physics, and quantum field theory. His ICM lecture was "Liouville Quantum Gravity: From Random Planar Maps to Conformal Field Theory." Junyi XieJunyi Xie received his undergraduate degree from the University of Science and Technology of China, pursued graduate studies at the École Normale Supérieure and Université Paris Diderot, and earned his Ph.D. from the École Polytechnique in 2014. He left a tenured position at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 2021 to join BICMR at Peking University. His research spans arithmetic dynamics, Diophantine geometry, algebraic geometry, and complex dynamics. His ICM lecture was "Rigidity in Complex Dynamics: Multiplier Spectra and the Dynamical André–Oort Conjecture." Yongchang ZhuYongchang Zhu studied at the Department of Mathematics, Peking University (1980–1984), earning his B.S., and received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1990. After graduation, he held positions at Caltech, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn. His research covers conformal field theory, loop groups, and automorphic forms. His ICM lecture was "Automorphic Forms on Loop Groups and Explicit Constructions." Feng XuFeng Xu earned both his B.S. and M.S. from the Department of Mathematics, Peking University (1984–1990), and later completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. Early in his career, he participated in the Chern Study Program in the United States. His research focuses on mathematical physics. He was a plenary speaker at the 2021 International Congress on Mathematical Physics. His ICM lecture was "Entropy in Quantum Field Theory." Jianfeng LuJianfeng Lu received his B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2001–2005), and his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Princeton University in 2009. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University (2009–2012). He is currently the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor at Duke University, with joint appointments in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. His research lies at the intersection of computational physics, theoretical chemistry, materials science, high-dimensional partial differential equations, and machine learning. His ICM lecture was "Quantitative Hypocoercivity Estimates for the Underdamped Langevin Equation." Lin LinLin Lin earned his B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2003–2007), and his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Princeton University in 2011. He is Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research focuses on mathematical modeling and numerical methods for quantum many-body problems, advancing interdisciplinary research in quantum chemistry, quantum physics, materials science, and quantum information. His ICM lecture was "Mathematics and Numerical Analysis of Quantum Signal Processing." Yu DengYu Deng studied at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2007–2009), before transferring to MIT, where he completed his bachelor's degree in mathematics. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2015. He previously held positions as a postdoctoral researcher at the Courant Institute, Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California, and joined the University of Chicago in 2024. His research focuses on partial differential equations, particularly dispersive equations, and their interactions with probability theory and mathematical physics, especially statistical physics, kinetic theory, and quantum field theory. His ICM lecture was "Hilbert's Sixth Problem: Particles and Waves." Yunqing TangYunqing Tang earned her B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2007–2011), and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2016. She has held positions at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay, and Princeton University before joining the University of California, Berkeley as Associate Professor in 2022. Her ICM lecture was "Integrality Bounds and Diophantine Approximation." Hong WangHong Wang entered Peking University in 2007, initially enrolling in the School of Earth and Space Sciences before transferring to the School of Mathematical Sciences in 2008. She received her B.S. in Mathematics in 2011, earned both the Diplôme d'Ingénieur from the École Polytechnique and a master's degree from Université Paris-Saclay in 2014, and completed her Ph.D. at MIT in 2019. After a postdoctoral appointment at the Institute for Advanced Study, she joined UCLA as Assistant Professor in 2021. She is currently Silver Professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, and a permanent Professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES). Her ICM lecture was "Restricted Orthogonal Projections." Ruixiang ZhangRuixiang Zhang earned his B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2008–2012), and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2017. After postdoctoral appointments at the Institute for Advanced Study and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he joined the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on Fourier analysis, analytic number theory, and additive combinatorics. His ICM lecture was "Where Can Free Waves Concentrate?" Junliang ShenJunliang Shen received his B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2009–2013), and his Ph.D. from ETH Zurich in 2018. He served as a C.L.E. Moore Instructor at MIT (2018–2021) before joining Yale University as Assistant Professor in 2021 and being promoted to Associate Professor in 2025. His research interests include Gromov–Witten theory, moduli spaces, and derived algebraic geometry. His ICM lecture was "The Topology of Abelian Fibrations." Ziquan ZhuangZiquan Zhuang earned his B.S. from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University (2010–2014), and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2019. He was a C.L.E. Moore Instructor at MIT (2019–2022) and is currently Professor of Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on algebraic geometry, particularly singularity theory, the minimal model program, and birational geometry. His ICM lecture was "Local Volumes of klt Singularities and K-Stability." Explore More from ICM 20262026 Fields Medal Winners Announced: Four Mathematicians Honored Where Have Fields Medalists Studied and Worked? ICM 2026 Announces Fields Medal and Major IMU Award Winners The List of Speakers at ICM 2026
On July 3, Tsinghua University held the appointment ceremony for Professor Omar M. Yaghi, who joins the university as a full-time chaired professor. A recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and one of the world's foremost materials chemists, Yaghi will further strengthen Tsinghua's research capabilities in chemistry and materials science. At the ceremony, Professor Yaghi reflected that his fascination with molecules began at the age of ten, and that a pure passion for science has inspired him to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries throughout his career in materials science. Today, his research focuses on global challenges including water security, carbon neutrality, and sustainable development, with the goal of addressing fundamental issues that affect humanity. Acknowledging that scientific research is rarely a smooth journey, he emphasized that science possesses a unique power to transform the unknown into discovery while cultivating curiosity, dedication, and courage in the face of challenges. By joining Tsinghua, he said, he hopes to embark on a new chapter in both research and education with renewed enthusiasm and greater ambition, working alongside colleagues to address the defining questions of our time, expand the frontiers of knowledge, and ensure that scientific innovation benefits the world. According to Tsinghua University, Professor Yaghi will lead the establishment of the University-level AI Materials Chemistry Research Center (AIMATRY). Building upon the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering, the center will collaborate closely with the Institute for AI Industry Research, the Department of Computer Science and Technology, the School of Materials Science and Engineering, and other academic units. The center will develop forward-looking AI-enabled technologies for materials design and synthesis, with the goal of dramatically shortening the development cycle for new materials. By creating an intelligent, end-to-end research and development framework spanning theory, computation, R&D, and manufacturing, AIMATRY aims to overcome the efficiency limitations of traditional trial-and-error approaches and establish an independent technical standards system covering the entire lifecycle of intelligent materials. Professor Yaghi will also play a leading role in cultivating interdisciplinary talent at the intersection of artificial intelligence and materials science. Leveraging his international academic standing, he will work with leading scholars worldwide to build an integrated AI-plus-Chemistry education and research platform at Tsinghua. Through interdisciplinary curricula, small-class teaching, and hands-on research training, the platform will nurture a new generation of highly qualified researchers with expertise spanning AI, materials chemistry, and related interdisciplinary fields. Omar M. YaghiProfessor Omar M. Yaghi is the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He is also a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Born in Amman, Jordan, in 1965, Yaghi received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1990 before undertaking postdoctoral research at Harvard University. He subsequently held faculty positions at several leading American universities and has served as the James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, since 2012, while also serving as a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Throughout his career, he has received numerous prestigious international honors, including the Einstein World Award of Science, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, and the Balzan Prize. Professor Yaghi's research encompasses the synthesis, structure, and properties of inorganic and organic compounds, as well as the design and construction of novel crystalline materials. He pioneered the building-block approach, which has enabled exponential growth in the discovery of new materials and generated unprecedented chemical diversity. He is the inventor of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and molecular weaving, and was the first to define the field of reticular chemistry, establishing an entirely new paradigm for materials design. To date, Professor Yaghi has published more than 300 research papers, which have collectively received over 260,000 citations. He has authored more than 30 papers in the world's leading scientific journals, including Nature and Science.
Recently, a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins University confirmed that the university has laid off approximately 110 employees in response to cuts in federal research funding. The latest round of layoffs was described as a last resort and primarily affected administrative staff. In a statement, Johns Hopkins University said: "As our federal research portfolio shrinks, the infrastructure around it must change in parallel. Last year, we implemented significant cost-management initiatives including a hiring freeze, pausing annual increases for anyone making over $80,000, reducing discretionary spending, eliminating vacant positions, and reducing our five-year capital project spending by 20%." In March 2025, the university announced the layoff of 2,200 employees, most of whom were based overseas, in direct response to the administration's unilateral dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Further ReadingAccording to Johns Hopkins University, the institution has been the nation's leading recipient of federal research funding every year since 1979. In fiscal year 2024, every dollar invested in research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) generated approximately $2.56 in economic activity. However, in a 2026 letter to the university community, JHU President Ron Daniels noted that: "The total outstanding value of our multiyear federal research portfolio had declined by more than $500 million in calendar year 2025. This was due in part to our receiving 43% less in federal research funding and 28% fewer awards than in the previous year. Unfortunately, as we approach the midpoint of 2026, these downward trends have continued unabated." To help offset the impact of federal grant terminations and funding delays, the university will invest $60 million annually over the next two years to support faculty members pursuing new research and academic initiatives, as well as PhD students and postdoctoral scholars as they complete their training. The program is open to all research disciplines that have historically relied on competitively awarded federal grants. In addition, this June, Johns Hopkins University and West Virginia University announced a new partnership to bring together researchers from both institutions to tackle complex challenges in health, science, and society, while strengthening faculty teams' competitiveness for future external research funding. At the center of the partnership is the JHU–WVU Research Collaborative, a three-year, $7 million initiative funded through philanthropic support. The program is designed to help faculty teams launch new interdisciplinary research collaborations and compete for larger external funding opportunities.
According to an official announcement from ETH Zurich, at the request of the ETH Board, the Swiss Federal Council has confirmed Günther Dissertori as the next President of ETH Zurich. The particle physicist, who currently serves as Rector of the university, will succeed Joël Mesot and assume office on 1 January 2027. Mesot will continue to serve as President of ETH Zurich until the end of December 2026. The Federal Council’s decision to appoint Dissertori, a 56-year-old scientist from South Tyrol, reflects a commitment to continuity. “I’d like to thank the Federal Council for their confidence and am excited about working to keep ETH Zurich a top global university together with the strong team of the Executive Board, our professors and all members of staff,” Dissertori said. He has been a Professor of Particle Physics at ETH Zurich since 2001 and, in 2022, was appointed Rector, Deputy President, and a member of the ETH Zurich Executive Board. Günther Dissertori Image: Markus Bertschi / ETH ZurichGünther Dissertori (born in 1969) is an Italian physicist, scientist, Professor of Particle Physics, and the current Rector of ETH Zurich. He will become President of ETH Zurich at the beginning of 2027, succeeding Joël Mesot. Dissertori studied physics at the University of Innsbruck and began his research career as a doctoral student at CERN in Geneva. His appointment brings a distinguished scientist to one of Switzerland’s most important academic leadership positions. According to the Federal Council’s media release, Dissertori made “key contributions to the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in 2012.” Beyond his achievements in fundamental research, he has also promoted the application of detector technologies in medicine, contributing to the establishment of an ETH spin-off that developed a cost-effective brain PET scanner. As Rector, Dissertori has emphasized collaboration with industry, including through the Learning Factory project in Zug, which connects ETH students with industrial partners. He has also strengthened the Student Project House, a platform that enables students to cultivate entrepreneurial skills and an innovative mindset. Supporting early-career researchers has been a central focus throughout Dissertori’s career. As Rector, he has overseen education and teaching at all levels, including continuing education programs. The Federal Council noted that over the past four years he has “significantly shaped the strategic direction of academic instruction at ETH Zurich.” Among his key initiatives is the launch of the PAKETH project, the most comprehensive curriculum reform since the introduction of the Bologna system. PAKETH is designed to facilitate the development of degree programs, increase flexibility, and create new opportunities for students to engage with industry. Dissertori has also developed a comprehensive vision for teaching, expanded project-based learning formats, and actively promoted the strategic integration of artificial intelligence into the curriculum.
Recently, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn President Larry Jameson will step down as planned from his role at the helm of the University in June 2027. Jameson was named Penn’s interim president in December 2023 following the resignation of former Penn President Liz Magill, which came amid national criticism of the University’s response to antisemitism on campus and her remarks at a congressional hearing. Jameson served—first in an interim capacity and then as Penn’s 10th permanent president—throughout a prolonged period of campus turmoil, administrative turnover, and federal scrutiny. During his term, the former executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System was seen as a stabilizing force by many in the campus community. When Jameson assumed the role of permanent president in March 2025, his term was set to end on June 30, 2027. In a separate email to the Penn community, Board Chair Raghavendran explained that the Board “respects his decision” and will “begin the comprehensive process” of identifying Penn’s next president, who will assume office on July 1, 2027. “Dr. Jameson stepped in at a pivotal moment, and what he has accomplished in two and a half years has been simply extraordinary,” Raghavendran wrote. “His work is far from finished.” He added that the remaining time in Jameson’s term would be devoted to expanding Penn Forward initiatives and broadening Penn’s “geographic reach and impact.” About Larry Jameson J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, was named President of the University of Pennsylvania in March 2025 after serving as Interim President since December 2023. He previously led Penn Medicine as Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine beginning July 1, 2011. Dr. Jameson also holds the title of Trustees University Professor at Penn. Before joining Penn Medicine, Dr. Jameson served for four years as Dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Northwestern University. He first joined Northwestern University Medical School in 1993, as Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine. In 2000, he was named Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Jameson received his medical degree with honors and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1981. He completed clinical training in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Before leaving for Northwestern University, he rose through the ranks at Harvard Medical School to become an associate professor of medicine and chief of the Thyroid Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. An accomplished physician-scientist, Dr. Jameson has pioneered studies of the genetic basis of hormonal disorders, and he is the author of more than 350 scientific articles and chapters. He is an editor of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, the most widely used textbook of Internal Medicine. His research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, Science, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He has served as president of The Endocrine Society and Association of American Physicians, and chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Medical Colleges. Dr. Jameson has received many distinguished awards, including the Van Meter Award from the American Thyroid Association, the Koch Award from The Endocrine Society, and the Sheen Award from the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Jameson is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
Recently, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) announced that it will significantly expand financial support for faculty, students, and research teams facing federal grant terminations or delays, as well as those dealing with the broader effects of a changing research ecosystem. Through its newly established Research Resilience Fund, the university will allocate $60 million annually over the next two years to support faculty members pursuing new research or academic initiatives, as well as PhD students and postdoctoral scholars as they complete their studies. The program covers all research areas that have historically benefited from competitively awarded federal funding. The announcement comes amid a sharp decline in federal support for research, as the government moves away from the longstanding partnership with the nation’s research universities that has fueled the U.S. research enterprise for more than 80 years. According to Johns Hopkins University, the university has been the leading recipient of federal research funding every year since 1979. In fiscal year 2024, each dollar invested in research by the National Institutes of Health generated approximately $2.56 in economic activity. However, in a recent letter to the university community, JHU President Ron Daniels noted that “the total outstanding value of our multiyear federal research portfolio had declined by more than $500 million in calendar year 2025. This was due in part to our receiving 43% less in federal research funding and 28% fewer awards than in the previous year. Unfortunately, as we approach the midpoint of 2026, these downward trends have continued unabated.” “We know it is not possible to fully replace the scale of federal research funding traditionally received at Hopkins, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars each year. But that is not to say that we are entirely without agency to mitigate the impact of this contraction in funding.” The Research Resilience Fund is being financed through budget reallocations, including savings generated through a variety of cost-reduction measures, as well as $8.5 million in research funding from the State of Maryland. Its creation expands upon the earlier Pivot and Bridge Program, which was launched in April 2025 and funded at $12.5 million annually. With the increased investment provided through the Research Resilience Fund, the university will be able to substantially increase the number of awards—42 awards were granted last year through the Pivot and Bridge Program—raise the maximum award amount to $250,000, and eliminate the requirement for matching funds from divisions or departments. Awards will be distributed through a streamlined, merit-based review process and may be used for both salary support and research activities In addition, Daniels wrote that JHU will undertake several revenue-generating and cost-saving initiatives to strengthen its capacity to support research. These measures include establishing new corporate research partnerships, expanding online and non-degree educational programs, reducing administrative expenses, pursuing solutions to curb rising employee benefit costs, identifying operational efficiencies across the research enterprise, and reducing spending on capital projects.
Recently, according to the Financial Times, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang has accepted an invitation to join the Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board). It is also reported that during recent China visits by U.S. President Donald Trump, Huang was among the accompanying delegation members. The Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board was established in October 2000 under the active promotion of then-Dean of Tsinghua SEM and former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. The current honorary chairman is Wang Qishan, while the chairman is Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. The board currently consists of 67 members, including 65 advisors. Among the overseas members are 49 internationally renowned business leaders, two presidents of top global universities, four deans of prominent overseas business schools, and two Nobel laureates in economics. Members include leading figures in the American technology industry such as Elon Musk of Tesla, Michael Dell of Dell Technologies, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, as well as prominent figures in the financial sector such as Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase and Larry Fink of BlackRock. Tsinghua University is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in China. Through teaching, research, and innovation, Tsinghua is committed to advancing the well-being of both China and the wider world. As one of China’s most influential institutions of higher education, Tsinghua aims to cultivate global citizens who can thrive in today’s world and become the leaders of tomorrow. By pursuing excellence in education and research, the university seeks to develop innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing China and the international community. Jensen Huang Photo by NvidiaJensen Huang (born February 17, 1963) is a business executive and electrical engineer who is the founder, president, and CEO of Nvidia, the world's most valuable company. Huang holds a BSEE degree from Oregon State University and an MSEE degree from Stanford University. As of 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth at over US$200 billion, making him the seventh-wealthiest individual in the world. Huang launched Nvidia in 1993 from a Denny's restaurant in San Jose, California, at age 30 and has remained its president and CEO ever since. He led the company out of near-bankruptcy during the 1990s and oversaw its expansion into GPU production, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). Under Huang, Nvidia experienced rapid growth during the AI boom, becoming the first company to reach a market capitalization of over $5 trillion in October 2025. In 2017, he was named Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year. In 2019, Harvard Business Review ranked him No. 1 on its list of the world’s 100 best-performing CEOs over the lifetime of their tenure. In 2021 and 2024, Time magazine included Huang in their list of the most influential people. In 2025, he was named as one of the "Architects of AI" for Time's Person of the Year.
In the 2025 and 2026 QS World University Rankings, Imperial College London ranked No. 2 globally and No. 1 in the UK for two consecutive years, second only to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yet before this dramatic rise, the university had long remained around 6th place globally, behind both University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Why has Imperial surpassed Oxford and Cambridge in recent years to become the UK’s top-ranked university in QS? The answer may lie in the university’s own transformation. “Science for Humanity” Strategy Drives Research ExcellenceSince its founding in 1907, the philosophy of “to be useful” has been deeply embedded in Imperial’s identity. The university’s mission is to “achieve enduring excellence in research and education in science, technology, engineering, medicine and business for the benefit of society.” However, as President Professor Hugh Brady has noted, today “being useful” means “delivering global impact through research and innovation, and shaping the next generation of leaders and change-makers.” In March 2024, leveraging its strong foundations in STEMB disciplines, Imperial launched an ambitious strategy titled “Science for Humanity.” Through three core aims — enabling talent, powering research, and amplifying impact — the university aims to shape an entirely new future. Coincidentally, in 2023 QS introduced the largest methodological overhaul in its history, adding three new indicators: Employment Outcomes, International Research Network, and Sustainability. Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President at QS, explained that the changes were designed to “closely align” its flagship rankings with the priorities of Gen Z and Gen Alpha students, who are “increasingly socially conscious students.” Sowter further noted: “An institution’s ability to make that global impact and really be recognised for their capability is directly linked to their ability to produce graduates who themselves go on to make the right leadership choices and make a global impact. And it’s critically important that universities take responsibility for bringing the best and brightest minds in different disciplines and different fields together to collaborate on solving some of those problems.” QS’s proactive response to emerging trends in higher education and evolving student expectations aligns closely with Imperial College London’s “Science for Humanity” strategy. As President Professor Hugh Brady stated: “This commitment to excellence has been recognised globally, as our excellence in world-leading research, outstanding employability scores, and exceptional commitment to sustainability contributed to our 2nd place in the QS World University Ranking.” Looking at Imperial’s 2026 QS indicator scores, the university achieved 99.6 in Academic Reputation and 95 in Citations per Faculty, the two most heavily weighted metrics. Behind these exceptional scores lies the university’s sustained investment in research, innovation, and world-leading impact under the “Science for Humanity” strategy. In June 2025, Imperial established four new Schools of Convergence Science, integrating the university’s strengths across science, technology, and business to address the world’s most urgent challenges. Rather than simple interdisciplinary collaboration, these schools aim to break down barriers between disciplines and departments, accelerating the implementation of the “Science for Humanity” strategy. The four Schools focus respectively on: Health and TechnologySpace, Security and TelecomsSustainabilityHuman and Artificial IntelligenceToday, the majority of Imperial’s research activities are directly connected to these four schools. For example, The School of Health and Technology has already produced significant breakthroughs in areas such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and prostate cancer imaging. Professor Anthony Bull, School of Convergence Science Co-Director (Convenor), stated: “The School of Convergence Science (Health and Technology) is a bold initiative to harness the depth and breadth of our research to drive lasting societal impact and build a healthier, more equitable, and resilient future for all.” Meanwhile, in The School of Human and Artificial Intelligence, Imperial researchers are developing transformative tools and solutions designed to benefit society. Professor Alessandra Russo, Head of the Department of Computing, noted: “AI will undoubtedly reshape our life, our world, our future. It's this convergence between AI and human intelligence that can unlock the potential and power of AI technology.” At the same time, Imperial is striving to translate research into real-world applications and solutions, truly realizing the vision of “science for humanity.” One notable example is WestTech London, where more than 1,000 cutting-edge innovation companies have already established operations. Outstanding Advantages in Internationalization and Graduate EmployabilityBeyond academic research, internationalization and student employability are also major strengths behind Imperial’s QS success. Imperial achieved perfect scores in both International Faculty Ratio and International Student Ratio, making it one of the most international universities in the world. According to university data, international students account for 61% of the student body and come from more than 150 countries and regions. Likewise, Imperial’s academic staff represent top global talent, with 41% originating from outside the UK. Under the “Science for Humanity” strategy, Imperial has established Imperial Global Hubs in Singapore, the United States, Ghana, and India. These hubs serve as bridges between the UK and major global innovation centers, enabling the free flow and exchange of research, knowledge, and technology worldwide. As a result, Imperial scored an impressive 97.5 in the International Research Network indicator in the 2026 QS rankings. Equally impressive are Imperial’s scores in Employer Reputation (100) and Employment Outcomes (95.9), with the latter rising sharply from 83 in 2024 to 95.9 in 2026. Located in central London, Imperial is surrounded by leading technology firms, innovative startups, and world-class medical institutions. Its curriculum and internship programs are deeply integrated with industry, contributing to strong graduate employability and competitiveness among top employers such as Google, DeepMind, fintech firms, and the UK’s National Health Service. As a result, Imperial has become one of the world’s premier launching pads for graduate careers. It was ranked first for graduate career prospects in The Guardian’s University Guide 2025 and recognized as top for Graduate Employment in The Times/The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025. Yet Imperial is not stopping there. Professor Peter Haynes, Provost and Deputy President, believes: “As the pace of innovation accelerates, our education must prepare our graduates to adopt emerging technologies not only for the careers of today, but also for the future jobs we cannot even imagine.” To achieve this, Imperial continues to invest heavily in student innovation initiatives and digital education capabilities, aiming to deliver a truly world-class educational experience. Sustained Financial Growth Supports the Rise in RankingsImperial’s financial growth also reflects its upward trajectory. Between 2021 and 2025, the university’s total income increased from £1.079 billion to £1.493 billion, representing cumulative growth of nearly 38.4%. In 2025, all income streams except funding body grants recorded growth. Among these, Tuition fees and education contracts rose dramatically from £384 million in 2021 to £554 million in 2025, an increase of 44.3%. Notably, international tuition fees accounted for as much as 80.7% of total tuition income, providing substantial resources that further strengthened teaching and research quality. At the same time, Research grants and contracts increased by 12.8% year-on-year to £447.4 million. The year 2025 also marked particularly strong performance in securing new research funding. Industry funding rose significantly from £47.2 million in the 2020/21 academic year to £63.7 million in 2024/25, an increase of 35%, highlighting the depth of Imperial’s industry-academia collaboration. Particularly noteworthy was the university’s donation income. As of July 31, 2025, Imperial received £74.6 million in donations — the highest level since 2019 — signaling strong confidence from alumni and external partners in the university’s future development. Imperial’s rise to No. 2 globally reflects the resonance between changes in QS ranking methodology and the university’s own multidimensional strengths. As QS shifted its emphasis from traditional academic prestige toward employability and internationalization, Imperial’s deep-rooted advantages in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied sciences translated into overwhelming competitive strength in the rankings. Behind the methodological transformation lies a broader shift in how universities are evaluated globally — and Imperial College London has emerged as one of the clearest symbols of that transformation.
Data & Rankings
Data & Rankings
Data & Rankings
Data & Rankings
Data & Rankings