Who are the Newton Fund Alumni?

The China Newton Fund Alumni are a diverse bunch.

Professor Tida Ge is working on carbon sequestration and nutrient efficiency in crops such as rice. Professor Lei Shi is studying a medical condition affecting newborn babies. Professor Zhixun Xie has just been awarded a research and development grant to support his work on infectious disease in farmed animals.

There are 450 more stories like this across China; our Newton Alumni Network is growing fast. You can hear more from our Alumni in this video.

Many of the Newton Alumni are early career researchers, perfect for the UK’s Spirit of Youth campaign;  providing fresh energy and creativity, looking forward and outward, creating links and networks between people and businesses in China and the UK that deliver benefits for all.

It was in this context that we held our very first Newton Alumni Network gathering. Twenty-one alumni from across South China gathered for a workshop to share their work and experience. Thanks to Professor Ge from the Chinese Academy of Science Institute of Subtropical Agriculture for hosting.

A lucky few of our alumni got to meet HRH the Princess Royal, who spent 10 minutes speaking with them during a reception. Luckily the heavy rain and flooding in China hadn’t prevented the visit.

I would have go to meet them too, had I not been stuck on the high speed train for 12 hours with my boss (don’t worry, she’s good company!). Heavy flooding in Changsha meant we eventually ended up being sent back to Beijing. Luckily we were able to join via video the next day.

Newton funded research from the Climate Science for Service Partnership shows that extreme rainfall will become increasingly likely. The work our Alumni are doing on topics such as climate change has never been more important. My job is to make sure we continue to fund the best people, and that we make use of their work to improve people’s lives.