Liu Mingzhen [Photo/Women Voice]
28-year-old Liu Mingzhen recently gained popularity online after she was appointed deputy dean of the School of Materials and Energy at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Liu Mingzhen [Photo/Women Voice]
Liu, who was raised in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, studied extensively in the UK. She obtained her bachelor's degree at the University of Bristol when she was 21. She then received her master's at Cambridge University and her doctor's at Oxford over a 3-year span.
Liu published a thesis in science journal Nature at the age of 23, the youngest Asian female scholar to do so.
In 2015, Liu was included in China's Recruitment Program of Global Experts, a national program aiming to attract more overseas talents.
Before being appointed as deputy dean at UESTC, Liu led the establishment of its applied chemistry research center.
Liu Mingzhen [Photo/Women Voice]
Due to her extraordinary achievements, Liu is commonly said to be a lucky girl. However, she attributes her success to unremitting efforts.
"It can take three to five years on average to create a new material," she said. "To speed up the pace, I often buried myself in experiments when studying at Oxford, spending over 10 hours a day in the lab."
"Eventually, my efforts paid off and I obtained the latest research results in the field of perovskite solar cell preparation within only half a year," Liu added.
Liu Mingzhen [Photo/Women Voice]
In 2016, at the graduation ceremony at UESTC, Liu shared her opinions on dreams, perseverance, responsibility and health with graduates.
"Having dreams is of utmost significance to us. Only when we dare to dream, can we be passionate about life and work," Liu said.
"Keep doing what you do, if you know in your heart that you are on the right track. Don't give up," Liu added.
"Furthermore, every one of us should have a sense of responsibility and make a contribution to the development of our society. And last but not least, we must take good care of ourselves. Health is wealth. Without that, we can achieve nothing," she concluded.
Liu Mingzhen [Photo/Women's Voice]
At the school's opening ceremony in 2017, Liu delivered a speech encouraging freshmen to work hard and dedicate themselves to the revitalization of the country.
