Westlake University ( zh, 西湖大学) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, founded in October 2018. Westlake University is often being described as “

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

of China” or "China's Caltech". Westlake University ranked 84th in the world for Nature Index 2021 Young Universities (Leading 150 Young Universities) and 92nd in China for Nature Index 2022.

History

The proposal for the creation of a private research university was submitted on March 11, 2015. The proposers were from business and academia, and included Shi Yigong, Chen Shiyi, and

Pan Jianwei Pan Jianwei (; born 11 March 1970) is a Chinese quantum physicist, university administrator and professor of physics at the University of Science and Technology of China. Pan is known for his work in the field of quantum entanglement, quantum inf ...

. This led to the creation of WIAS on December 10, 2016 with Shi as president. The

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

approved the foundation of a university on April 2, 2018. Shi was elected as the university's president at the first board meeting on April 16. The university was inaugurated in Hangzhou on October 20, 2018. It opened with the Yunqi campus; the Yungu campus began construction in April.

Governance System

Westlake University Communist Party Committee

On April 20, 2018, the Communist Party Committee of West Lake University was formally established. Dong Qingyuan ( zh, 董清源) was named the Communist Party Secretary, Sun Youyou ( zh, 孙幼幼) the Deputy Secretary, and Yang Wenzhu ( zh, 杨文铸) the Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee of the University.

Westlake University Board of Trustees

Westlake University is headed by the University President under the guidance of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of educators and scholars from China and overseas, representatives of donors and representatives of the government, making decisions on major issues such as the strategic planning of the university. It also appoints the University President which executes the decisions of the Board of Trustees. * Honorary Chair:

Yang Chen-Ning Yang Chen-Ning or Chen-Ning Yang (; born 1 October 1922), also known as C. N. Yang or by the English name Frank Yang, is a Chinese theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to statistical mechanics, integrable systems, gauge th ...

, Nobel Laureate in Physics and Academician of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republ ...

* Chair: Yingyi Qian, Dean of the School of Economics and Management and Professor at

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...

Administration

The University President is Shi Yigong and its Vice Presidents include Tian Xu, Min Qiu, Xiaoyun Zhu and Qingke Ji.

Academics

The university's faculties are the School of Life Science, School of Science and the School of Engineering.

Rankings and reputation

Nature Index

Nature Index tracks the affiliations of high-quality scientific articles and presents research outputs by institution and country on monthly basis.

Campus and Campus Life

Westlake University is located in Xihu District,

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangs ...

Yungu Campus (Main Campus)

The Yungu Campus is located in the Yungu Block of Zijingang Science and Technology City in Xihu District. The circular center of the campus is the "academic loop" for the university's administrative and academic heart, including a large "c"-shaped faculty building. The "residential loop" fills the campus perimeter, and contains residences and other personnel support facilities. The loops are separated by a moat crossed by 12 bridges.

Yunqi Campus

The Yunqi Campus is located in Yunqi Town, in the southern part of Xihu District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. This interim campus satisfies the basic needs of Westlake University in its initial stages. Covering an area of 11.5 acres with a total construction space of 106,000 m², the Yunqi Campus consists of four research buildings, one administrative building and two student residence halls, which were put into operation in March 2017. The Yunqi Campus features a small sports field with a basketball court and fitness equipment, a gym, a two-floor dining hall, a café and a campus store. Furthermore, a running track along the campus border has been laid in 2019. Regular leisure activities are organized by different clubs, the Union of Faculty and Staff and the Office of Academic Services and Student Affairs.

References

{{Universities and colleges in Zhejiang Educational institutions established in 2018 Universities and colleges in Hangzhou Universities and colleges in Zhejiang Private universities and colleges 2018 establishments in China