Professor Rao Yi

Peking University, November 23, 2023: Rao Yi, a professor at the Peking University School of Life Sciences and director of the IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, was conferred the Doctor of Science, honoris causa, on Nov. 20 by the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), in recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments and contribution to the development of academic and educational institutions in China. 

As a former dean of the School of Life Sciences, Rao ensured talented scientists could focus on research by establishing the tenure track. He also helped raise the international standing of Chinese science by insisting that the performance of academics must be peer-reviewed internationally. In the past 20 years, he established the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, the IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Peking University, the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, and the Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing.

Rao has also been a pioneer in the field of molecular neurobiology and made significant contributions to the field. His research initially focused on the study of neural development using genetics and molecular biology, before shifting towards the study of social behavior at the molecular and cellular level. In recent years, Rao has been pioneering the approach of biochemistry in dissecting molecular mechanisms of sleep. 
In his acceptance speech at the Conferment Ceremony, Rao noted that science was highly important for cities with a highly educated population like Hong Kong and that science could be an engine of its prosperity. 

He added that he was willing to see that the people in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) would support the city's development of science and higher education through increasing investment in research, nurturing of young scientific talent, and the development of high-tech industries. 

"I hope that in the future, the HKSAR will not only make science a crucial pillar of society but also be able to contribute to mankind," Prof. Rao concluded, in his acceptance speech.

Written by: Wang Yu Hsuan
Edited by: Su Huangyi
Source: PKU News