On December 5, the Postdoctoral Research Station of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA), Tsinghua University, along with the Party Branch of the High Voltage Research Institute of the Department, successfully held the 5th Postdoctoral Salon in the Meeting Room 102, Zone 3, West Main Building. To actively leverage the role of postdoctoral alumni and help current postdocs better plan their career paths, the salon invited three outstanding postdoctoral alumni from the department: Fu Jiao, a postdoctoral alumnus admitted in 2013 and Deputy Director of China Power Engineering Consulting Group Corporation; Wang Yongzhen, a postdoctoral alumnus admitted in 2018 and Associate Director of the Department of Energy and Power Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology; and Wang Zhou, a postdoctoral alumnus admitted in 2021 and researcher at Imperial College London. They shared their experiences on postdoctoral job hunting and career development planning. Nearly 40 postdocs participated in the salon, which was hosted by Duan Yanmei, the liaison of the Postdoctoral Research Station. Zheng Zedong, Party Secretary of EEA, and Gao Wensheng, Executive Vice Dean of the Tsinghua University Institute of Energy Internet, also attended.

In his opening speech, Zheng Zedong, a postdoctoral alumnus admitted to the postdoctoral station in 2028, reviewed his own postdoctoral experience and shared his insights and advice with the postdocs present. He stated that postdoctoral talent is a crucial force in the department’s research efforts, and the department will continue to strengthen the training and support of the postdoctoral group. Additionally, to promote the connections, exchanges, and development of postdoctoral alumni and to harness alumni power, the department has established a Postdoctoral Alumni Association, which will serve as an important platform for connecting postdoctoral alumni and supporting their development. He also welcomed alumni to participate in the organization of the association.

Zheng Zedong delivered a speech

Fu Jiao, a postdoctoral alumnus, shared her work experience after completing her postdoc and discussed career development with the attendees. She mentioned that her postdoctoral experience at the department played an active role in understanding domestic research trends and advancing her academic career. She compared the research demands of different institutions such as universities, research institutes, and enterprises, and advised postdocs to clarify their career development direction as early as possible, assess their skills, and determine their employment direction based on various influencing factors. Regarding research policies of interest to postdocs, she provided detailed insights into national policies on research innovation and explained the research innovation measures outlined in the "Energy Law."

Fu Jiao delivered a speech

Wang Yongzhen, a postdoctoral alumnus, shared his career path after leaving the postdoctoral station. He stated that to develop more comprehensively, he actively transitioned from the "T-shaped" talent model to the "π-shaped" model, enriching his professional skills to support career development. He introduced the construction and development of related disciplines at his workplace, Beijing Institute of Technology, and shared detailed experiences on job hunting in academic positions, future promotion prospects, and other aspects, using his own experience as a case study. He ended by advising the postdocs to "love the work you do" and to be bold in interdisciplinary work and imagination.

Wang Yongzhen shared his report

Wang Zhou, a postdoctoral alumnus, shared his experiences with overseas job hunting and development. He analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of working abroad in areas such as specialized knowledge depth, international recognition, interpersonal relationships, multicultural perspectives, and personal income. He also introduced the methods and paths of overseas job hunting, emphasizing the importance of personal resumes, research directions, and research foundations. He shared the challenges of living and working abroad, including social, environmental, and family aspects, and particularly recommended paying attention to the Tsinghua alumni network abroad. Finally, he shared his research and achievements in the field of AI chips.

Gao Wensheng, a postdoctoral alumnus admitted to the station in 1999, gave a concluding speech. He emphasized that career development should be forward-looking and took the development history of high-voltage power grids as an example, advising the postdocs to consider long-term career planning. He also stressed the importance of being innovative in career development, pointing out that existing research achievements can sometimes become future burdens, and urged postdocs to face the multidimensional challenges and opportunities ahead. Additionally, career development should leverage platform advantages, as the biggest issue in job hunting comes from information asymmetry. The Postdoctoral Alumni Association will establish a job information exchange mechanism to assist current postdocs with their job searches.

Gao Wensheng made a conclusion

The postdocs and guests engaged in lively communication and exchanges, deepening the postdocs' understanding and planning for their long-term career development. Going forward, the Department of Electrical Engineering's Postdoctoral Research Station will continue to invite more experts, scholars, and outstanding postdoctoral alumni to share their experiences, further promote the development of the postdoctoral group, and strengthen connections with postdoctoral alumni.

Group Photo from the Salon