Chinese scholars win £90,000 Pacific Alliance Scholarships to study at Oxford
1 June 2010
Oxford University has announced the inaugural recipients of a new scholarship for Chinese students undertaking master’s and doctoral study at the university. The Pacific Alliance Scholarships were awarded to Kun Luo and Peidong Yang, who will arrive to take up their places in October.
The awards, worth around £30,000 a year over three years, cover university and college fees, as well as living expenses. The scholarships are designed to enable academically exceptional Chinese students to pursue master’s and doctoral studies in medicine or the social and natural sciences. The scholarship is also closely tied to New College, one of Oxford’s 38 colleges – Kun Luo will be undertaking his studies as a member of New College.
Kun Luo, 25, completed his bachelor’s degree in Materials Science at Zhejiang University, where he is also due to complete a master’s degree focusing intensively on hydrogen energy and hydrogen storage materials. He will undertake a doctoral degree in inorganic chemistry, working on chemical synthesis and structural characterization.
Peidong Yang, 24, has a bachelor’s degree in Maritime Studies from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and was awarded a Nippon Foundation Fellowship to study at Cardiff University, where he completed a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in Social Sciences. He will be undertaking a doctoral degree in Education, researching foreign students recruited to study in Singaporean Universities. He said: ‘Oxford is an institution of global excellence, not only in its leading role in imparting and generating knowledge, but also in using the knowledge for the transformation of society.
‘To be able to pursue a DPhil at Oxford is not just a great opportunity for me as an aspiring scholar, it will also prepare me for the better fulfilment of my responsibilities towards the community and society that I live in. I hope my studies at Oxford will enable me to make contributions to research and policy making in the higher education sector of China.’
The University of Oxford’s relationship with China dates from the 17th century, and Oxford is now a world-leading centre for scholarship on China. The recent launch of the University of Oxford China Centre and the China Oxford Centre for International Health Research further cements the relationship between one of the world’s great universities and one of the world’s rising powers.
Oxford’s Chinese community has long been an important part of the university’s diverse student body. Chinese students are the third-largest national population at Oxford, and there are more than 2,500 alumni of the University in mainland China and Hong Kong. Prominent alumni include Yu Yongding, President of China Society of World Economics, Guo Shuqing, Chairman of the China Construction Bank, and literary scholars Qian Zhongshu and Yang Xianyi.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Professor Andrew Hamilton, said: ‘Oxford’s relationship with China is long-standing and still growing, and this new scholarship scheme will further enhance the collaborations already taking place. We are very grateful to the Pacific Alliance Group for their generous funding of these new scholarships which we hope will enable Oxford to play a greater role in training the most talented Chinese researchers to apply their research knowledge and skills in their communities. Scholarships for graduate students are a vital part of enabling Oxford to attract the best researchers. That is why fundraising for graduate research student scholarships is a priority in Oxford’s fundraising campaign, Oxford Thinking.’
The scholarships are sponsored by the Pacific Alliance Group, one of the largest alternative investment managers in Asia. The scholarships were founded to give gifted scholars the chance to study in a world-class environment and then apply their knowledge for the benefit of the community.
Sir Curtis Price, Warden of New College, said: ‘One of the great things about Oxford is that students who come here get to be part of both a leading specialist department and a relatively small multidisciplinary college community, where students and tutorial fellows study and live together. New College, which is known for its congenial intellectual environment, is delighted to welcome these talented students, who will contribute to college life as well as to the larger university.
Commenting on the scholarships, Chris Gradel, Managing Partner of Pacific Alliance Group, said: ‘Pacific Alliance Group is delighted to support Chinese students in pursuing their studies at the University of Oxford. Pacific Alliance Group has made significant investments supporting education within China and this is a further contribution to show our commitment to the country.
For more information please contact: The Press & Information Office, University of Oxford on +44 (0)1865 280530 or press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk. Sophie Hoggarth, Pacific Alliance Group on +86 21 6288 4258 or shoggarth@pacific-alliance.com.