Postgraduate Education

As of the end of 2024, the institute has 660 graduate students, including 495enrolled at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), with 8 international students, and 165 jointly trained with partner universities. There are 145 supervisors, including 61 doctoral advisors and 84 master's advisors.

The institute-led qualification assessment for the first-level doctoral degree program in “Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics” was approved by the UCAS academic degree committee. A new professional doctoral program in “Energy and Power” was added to the enrollment catalog, with admissions set to begin in 2025.

In 2024, the institute fully mobilized supervisors' enthusiasm for student recruitment and significantly expanded the proportion of recommended students, achieving remarkable results in improving the quality of master's admissions. We successfully held a summer camp and an “Open Day for Undergraduates” at the Nanjing test base, conducted enrollment promotions at nearly 10 partner universities, and leveraged platforms like WeChat public accounts and the institute’s website for comprehensive and effective recruitment efforts. For the 2025 intake, the institute enrolled 91 recommended exempted master's students and 20 direct-entry doctoral students, with the proportion of recommended students reaching a record high in total admissions.

The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in UCAS, led by the institute, has achieved steady development. The school successfully organized a teaching seminar, with faculty members receiving awards in the “UCAS First Young Faculty Teaching Skills Competition.” Two university-level textbooks were approved, and one university-level course lecture notes were compiled. Additionally, a new teaching experimental platform was established. The school actively organized student to participate in various disciplinary competitions, securing two international first prizes, one international second prize, and over ten awards in domestic innovation contests such as the “Chinese University Student Aircraft Design Innovation Competition” hosted by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

In national, municipal, and UCAS thesis inspections, no issues were found in the graduation theses of the institute's students. In 2024, the institute had a total of 110 graduates, including 44 doctoral degree recipients (two of whom were international students) and 66 master's degree recipients. Despite the significant increase in graduate numbers, the institute proactively expanded job opportunities through internal and external channels, conducted career training programs, and enhanced graduates' employability. As a result, the employment rate for 2024 graduates reached 98.2%.

In 2024, the Institute meticulously organized and successfully staged the play “Passion Ignites, Sincerity Powers” for all faculty and students, profoundly deepening the understanding and promotion of the spirit of scientists within the Institute. Major events like the Opening Ceremony and Graduation Ceremony were thoughtfully planned and executed successfully this year. The Institute also organized the selection and commendation for the “My Favorite Mentor— Engineering Thermophysics Gardening Award”, fostering a strong atmosphere of mutual respect between teachers and students. The Institute was once again selected for UCAS's “Passing on the torch” Ideological and Political Education Project, building a bridge for communication between young students and scientists, ensuring the continued dissemination of the scientist spirit.

Postgraduate Party branches and the Postgraduate Association organized diverse activities. The Postgraduate Party branches significantly enhanced the effectiveness of activities including role-model demonstrations by outstanding young Party members, the “MAO Zedong Poetry Recitation Competition”, the “Shared Reading” initiative to build a learning-oriented Party organization, and themed film-viewing series. The Postgraduate Association held activities closely aligned with postgraduate needs, such as the monthly “Postgraduate Thermal Talks” Academic Forum series, singing competitions, and various sports events. These diverse activities contributed significantly to the Institute's innovation culture and received consistent praise from faculty and students.

Outstanding awards won by faculty and students in 2024 included: LING Yunyi winning the excellent doctoral thesis of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Academician JIN Hongguang and Researcher LU Xingen receiving the excellent tutoraward of CAS; CHENG Hongzhi won the Special Prize of President Scholarship for Postgraduate Students in UCAS; WANG Ruochen and LI Ziliang receiving the UCAS Dean's Excellence Award; WANG Ruochen, QIU Jiahui, and LI Ziliang honored as “Beijing Outstanding Graduates”; SU Kun awarded the ZHU Liyuehua Outstanding Doctoral Student Award; QIU Jiahui receiving the Environmental Protection Award of China Science and Technology Group; DING Hongliang and ZHAO Qianpeng winning the WU Chung-Hua Excellent Student Award; GUAN Yin and 9 other students receiving National Scholarships; and CAI Weidong and 17 other postgraduates awarded the “Four Dimensional Power” scholarship.

The work of post-doctoral mobile station steadily advanced and the postdoctoral quality was continuously improved. In 2024, there were a total of 30 postdoctoral fellows in the station. During the year, they secured 3 National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund, 2 Postdoctoral Special Grants (Mid-term), and 2 Postdoctoral Fund General Project. 12 postdoctoral researchers completed their exit procedures, with 6 remaining to work at the Institute, demonstrating the Institute's increasing attractiveness to outstanding postdoctoral talent.