Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) was established in 1920 in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. In 1954, HIT became one of six institutions first designated as National Key Universities by China’s

Ministry of Education (MOE). Presently HIT is a member of China’s Ivy League (C9 League). It is a university with science and engineering as its core and has developed to include management, liberal arts, economy, law, and other disciplines.Renowned as “the cradle of engineers,” the university is proud of its

many firsts. HIT established the first School of Astronautics in China. It was the first Chinese university to independently develop small satellites and launch them into the circumlunar orbit. HIT was also the front-runner in achieving satellite–ground laser communications in China. Additionally, HIT developed China’s first interactive chess-playing computer, and it was the first Chinese university to produce arc- and spot-welding robots. HIT was the first university in the world to reveal the structure of the HIV viral infectivity factor (Vif). It was also the first university to achieve a major breakthrough in supporting structural development for the world’s largest radio telescopes. China’s first human–machine in-orbit maintenance experiments on a space operator were also conducted by HIT.At HIT, there are 22 schools, 86 undergraduate programs, 9 National

Key Disciplines, and 7 National Key Labs. It also includes on its staff 38 members of the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Eleven disciplines at HIT are ranked among the top 1% on the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) list, including materials science, computer science, and engineering. In 2020, HIT ranked No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report ’s “Best Global Universities for Electrical and Electronic Engineering” list and No. 6 on its “Best Global Universities for Engineering” list.Since its beginning, HIT has always cultivated a strong international

environment. Now HIT has signed academic cooperation agreements

with 278 universities in 39 countries. These collaborations include student and faculty exchange programs, joint academic conferences, and scientific research cooperation. The “Greater HIT” strategy translates into “One University, Three Campuses,” which refers to the Harbin campus, Weihai campus, and Shenzhen campus. HIT is steadily moving toward its goal of becoming a world-class university.

Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai campusEstablished in 1985, the HIT Weihai campus is home to 11 schools

and 45 majors. Its “One-Blue/Two-Smarts/Three-Priorities/ Four-New Techs” system shows the campus’s strength areas: One Blue (blue ocean economics); Two Smarts (smart manufacturing and smart cities); Three Priorities (ocean engineering, marine science, and automotive engineering); and Four New Technologies (new generation information technology, new materials, new energy, and new environmental technologies). Its research and industry cooperation projects have led to hundreds of patents and contributed to both regional and national economic growth.

Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen campusFounded in 2002, the HIT Shenzhen campus is located in the Greater

Bay Area of South China. It provides comprehensive degree programs for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. It has 10 schools and 4 research centers, with research focusing on materials, intelligent equipment manufacturing, future information technology, artificial intelligence, smart cities, space science, marine engineering, and biopharmaceuticals. The campus aims to become an “internationalized, high-skilled, and research-oriented campus,” and its current emphasis is on revolutionizing higher education, attracting talent, and pioneering global education strategies. IM

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The Centenary of HITFounded in 1920 as the Harbin Sino-Russian School for Industry,

this year Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) celebrates its 100th anniversary. HIT’s three campuses have graduated more than 300,000 students. “With strong capabilities in research and innovation, HIT will continue to explore new frontiers and scale greater heights,” says Yu Zhou, president of HIT and a member of the CAE. In honor of HIT’s centennial celebration, this article explores 10 of its key research areas.

MechanicsIn 1952, the discipline of mechanics was established at HIT.

Now, this discipline consists of 110 faculty members, including four members of the CAE, one member of the CAS, one foreign member of Academia Europaea, two World Fellows of the International Committee on Composite Materials (ICCM), and one vice president of the ICCM.Students in this discipline benefit from interdisciplinary learning,

especially in mechanics, materials, and astronautics. Plus, this discipline teaches students to apply this knowledge to advancing the aerospace industry. Scientists and students work together on research projects, such as advanced composite materials and lightweight structures, multifunctional and smart materials and structures, multiscale analysis of solids in multiphysical fields, dynamics and control of aerospace vehicles, multiscale fluid mechanics and fluid structure interaction, and extreme mechanics.Much of this work aims to transform aerospace technology

and related fields. For example, research projects address the advancement in nonlinear dynamics theory and vibration-control methods, failure theory of solids under ultrahigh temperatures, multiscale analysis methods for inhomogeneous materials, and design methods for aerospace structures.Of particular note, CAE member Shanyi Du established HIT’s

National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Advanced Composites in Special Environments, which is known for scientific and technical breakthroughs, particularly those that benefit the Chinese aerospace industry and industries in other countries. For example, scientists from this lab developed the thermal protection

composite materials for China’s Long March-5 carrier rocket; an in-flight measuring sensor for spacecraft reentry capsules; an inflated deployable discrete reinforced membrane boom for satellite attitude control; and the world’s first shape-memory polymer composite–based flexible solar array, which has been demonstrated in space.

Materials Science and EngineeringHIT’s Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) discipline is

spread across all three campuses. MSE scientists work in a diverse range of technical areas. For example, CAE member Liancheng Zhao studies applications for optoelectronic materials in the field of information technology, such as telecommunications. In addition, Zhao and his colleagues have used basic studies of linear and nonlinear hyperelasticity in nickel-titanium (NiTi)-based alloys to develop applications for spacecraft, satellites, and medical treatments.In the area of advanced ceramics and metal matrix composites,

CAE member Yu Zhou and his team explore basic and applied topics, including phase transformation and toughening mechanisms, amorphous and metastable ceramics, multifunctional heat-resistant ceramic matrix composites, and high-performance metal matrix composites. Zhou and his colleagues have successfully realized the transfer of their research findings into practical applications for the aerospace industry.MSE scientists also develop key technologies and equipment

for manufacturing products with complex structures and advanced materials. Shijian Yuan and his team, for instance, developed advanced hydroforming technology that provides reliable, high-performance manufacturing of complex thin-walled components. The aerospace, aviation, and automotive industries use this hydroforming technology in many ways, including the production of fuel tanks and jet nozzles. In fact, HIT’s work in this field earned the 2016 National Technological Invention Award.HIT has earned awards for other MSE efforts as well. For example,

the research of Jicai Feng and his team on welding dissimilar materials won the 2019 National Natural Science Award.

Professor Shanyi Du and students in the Center for Composite Materials and Structures

Yu Zhou, President of Harbin Institute of Technology and Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

278 faculty members, including seven CAE members, this group of scientists undertakes many important national projects in areas such as high-performance structural engineering, multihazard prevention, and urban water system safety.HIT scientists in CEA participate in international cooperation,

such as work on ceramic aerogels for thermal superinsulation that is needed in spacecraft. They also play key roles in infrastructure construction and industry development in China, including in projects managed by HIT’s National Engineering Research Center, and the significant contribution to the design and construction of the Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), a national project.

Environmental Science and EngineeringHIT’s Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) discipline

includes environmental science, environmental engineering, municipal engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering, life science, and energy science and engineering. Nanqi Ren, who leads the ESE discipline and has spent his entire career at HIT, is a CAE member, an expert in wastewater treatment, and the director of China’s Scientific Committee on Sponge City Construction.“ESE at HIT has 100 years of history and continuously contributes

many environmental engineering technologies to numerous fields, including wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal and recycling, drinking water safety, atmospheric pollution control, and tracking the global migration and distribution of persistent toxic substances in the atmosphere,” says Ren. “Meanwhile, we have also cultivated a large quantity of high-level talent in both academic and engineering areas.” Today, ESE includes eight national research platforms and four CAE members.“Focused on national needs in environmental protection

and ecological safety, the ESE group has worked in innovative directions, such as ecological water remediation, bioresource and bioenergy recovery from organic wastes, microbial electrochemical systems, and water chemistry,” says Yujie Feng, executive dean of HIT’s School of Environment.

Civil Engineering and ArchitectureCivil engineering and architecture (CEA) is a powerful discipline

at HIT—consisting of civil engineering at the core and also including related research areas, such as architecture and transportation engineering. This discipline arose from the institute’s railway construction program, which was part of HIT when it opened in 1920. Established in 1950, HIT’s civil engineering program was the

first in China. Now, its civil engineering discipline is the national key discipline, and ranked in the top 2 according to the third round of discipline evaluation by China’s MOE in 2012. In 2017, civil engineering was listed in the Double First-Class Disciplines initiative, which was developed by China’s MOE to develop world-class universities. Additionally, in 2019 U.S. News & World Report ranked HIT’s civil engineering discipline 24th in the world. With

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Energy storage using opposite double-heterojunction ferroelectricity

Double-negative-index ceramic aerogels for thermal superinsulation

Regulation of the microbial nitrogen cycle by a quorum sensing system

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and electronics information systems have worked on remote ocean detection technology for more than 40 years. For example, Yongtan Liu, winner of the 2018 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award and a member of both CAS and CAE, directed his team to a series of innovations in the theory, technology, and engineering applications of a new type of ocean radar that provides long-distance detection capabilities surpassing other methods.In addition, HIT scientists in AEEE invented the Extreme

Environment Special Motor System for use in deep-space, deep-ocean, and deep-underground applications. The motor system has been successfully applied to several devices: the manned submersible Jiaolong, the lunar rover Yutu, the satellite Shenzhou 7, and the space laboratory Tiangong 2 (TG-2). This work won second prize in the 2016 National Technology Invention Awards of China.

Computer Science and TechnologyIn 1956, HIT founded the discipline of Computer Science and

Technology (CST), where China’s first talking, chess-playing digital computer was designed and produced in the late 1950s. CST scientists focus on the major research fields of computer science and advanced multidisciplinary fields. For example, fault-tolerant computing technology and wearable computing are geared to the needs of the aerospace industry.Working in the field of big data computing, Jianzhong Li and

his team investigate new computational complexity theory and efficient algorithms. They proposed an innovative sublinear time–based criterion for tractable problems of big-data computing and presented a random-access Turing machine (RATM) for supporting sublinear-time computation.Contributing to large-scale genomics studies, Yadong Wang and

his team developed over 50 advanced bioinformatics algorithms, such as high-throughput sequencing read alignment and genome variation detection. They also developed the first personal genome browser, which is useful for visualizing large genomic datasets. Wang and his team also run China’s 100,000 Genomes Project, the country’s first large-scale genome project, which plans to sequence the whole genomes of 100,000 participants from many ethnic backgrounds and regions across China. For this project, Wang’s

In addition to its work in environmental protection technologies, ESE members serve as consultants for national strategic plans. For example, Ren specializes in urban water and sponge city construction, and Jun Ma, a CAE member, focuses on drinking water safety.Established in the 1930s, the Chemistry and Chemical

Engineering group at ESE studies many topics, including “resource recovery from agricultural and municipal solid wastes,” says leader Yudong Huang. The leader of the clean combustion group, CAE member Yukun Qin, added that his group works on “low-cost solutions for improving air quality and developing affordable energy for sustainable development in China.”The life and environmental science group at ESE includes

facilities for cryo-electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and other technologies. Zhiwei Huang, the group’s leader, says that, these scientists focus on areas such as the “molecular mechanisms of viruses or the metagenome of environmental microorganisms.”

Automation & Electrical and Electronic EngineeringHIT’s Automation & Electrical and Electronic Engineering (AEEE)

discipline consists of a powerful team: two CAS members, three CAE members, 127 professors, 140 associate professors, and 76 lecturers. The main research directions include robust control, aircraft navigation, guidance, control, and simulation; big data–driven artificial intelligence (AI) and network control; over-the-horizon radar systems technology and equipment; electric drive and electric propulsion technology; and equipment for extreme environments, such as space and the ocean. In U.S. News & World Report ’s 2020 global ranking, HIT was named the top university in electrical and electronic engineering.AEEE scientists work on a range of interesting projects.

For instance, CAE member Zicai Wang leads research in the development of high-precision inertial test equipment, inertial navigation technology, and attitude control of microsatellites. CAS member Guangren Duan leads research in robust control systems design with applications in spacecraft control. HIT experts in radar IM

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Professor Yongtan Liu with young teachers and students

Roadmap for China’s 100,000 Genomes Project

confinement fusion. Scientists in the Research Center of Aeroengine Aerodynamics have built a transonic experimental platform for turbine and compressor cascades as well as a compressor stage testbed.

Aerospace Science and EngineeringWith 20 successful microsatellite launches, HIT has reached

many firsts in the field of aerospace at home and abroad. On April 18, 2004, the Shiyan-1 satellite—the first microsatellite developed independently by Chinese universities, including HIT—was launched successfully. It completed the first satellite-based three-line array stereo surveying and mapping of the Earth.Some of HIT’s other successfully launched satellites include the

Longjiang-1 and Longjiang-2 satellites, which went to the Moon. In a series of firsts, the Longjiang-2 satellite independently completed Earth–Moon transfer orbit, near-moon braking, and circumlunar flight. This also made HIT the first university to launch a lunar satellite. In addition, HIT launched the Lilac-2 satellite, which is the first micro/nano satellite designed, developed, and controlled by Chinese students. The group also launched the Lilac-1 satellite, which was part of the European Space Agency’s QB50 project—a network of 50 satellites. HIT participated in the development of the Jilin-1 satellite, China’s first commercial, high-resolution, remote-

team plans to build a comprehensive genome variation map of the Chinese population, and that data will be used to investigate how genotypes, environmental factors, and gene–environment interactions affect phenotypes.Scientists in CST also explore a range of cutting-edge

technologies in areas including AI, brain–computer interaction, cybersecurity, natural language processing, and intelligent software engineering. These technologies can be used to build a smarter society and improve the lives of people around the world.

High-End Equipment ManufacturingThis interdisciplinary group at HIT focuses on mechanical

engineering, including instrumentation science and technology and power engineering and engineering thermophysics. It contributes to major national projects, including manned space flight, deep-space exploration, inertial confinement fusion, aeroengines, and gas turbines.In 1985, CAE member Hegao Cai and his team developed Huayu-1,

the first industrial robot in China. Cai also established the State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems and carried out research on numerous topics including space robots, micro/nano robots, and special robots.In 2013, Cai’s team developed China’s first space robot, which

was successfully used in the Shiyan-7 satellite and the TG-2 space laboratory. Now, the team is carrying out research on the manipulator system of the experimental cabin of the Chinese Space Station.In research on planetary rovers, CAE member Zongquan

Deng’s team constructed a topological database of suspension configurations and novel terramechanics models for rovers, adapting to the terrain with independent driving for each wheel. The researchers applied these models to the design of mobility system configurations for six-wheeled Yutu/Yutu-2 lunar rovers and for China’s Mars rover, Huoxing-1.CAE member Jiubin Tan and his team developed a series of

ultraprecision instruments to improve the manufacturing quality of China’s high-end equipment, such as high performance satellite cameras. Other exciting work in this discipline has merited a top rating in “Instrumentation Science and Technology,” according to ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (2017–2019). HIT scientists have also developed tools for machining nanoprecision optical surfaces and microstructures that can be used in laser systems involved in research on inertial

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HIT students designed the camera for the DSLWP-B/Longjiang-2 satellite that enabled the first high-resolution picture of the far side of the moon.

The HIT/DLR Dexterous Hand II, jointly developed by HIT and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) IMAG

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Space Environment Simulation Research InfrastructureHIT’s Space Environment Simulation and Research Infrastructure

(SESRI) is a ground-based large-scale space science and technology experimental platform. Currently under construction at HIT, SESRI will go into service to users around the world in 2022. It is designed for studying basic scientific issues in space materials, electronic devices, magnetospheric physics, and other areas, and has unparalleled capability to simulate a wide range of factors in a space environment.This facility will include state-of-art in situ and semi-in situ

analysis and measurement systems. The research opportunities at SESRI will cover three categories of scientific problems: the spatial and temporal evolution of the structure and performance of materials and devices in the integrated space environment and the physical nature of environmental effects; the mechanisms of life in a space environment; and the distribution and evolution of space plasma and the physical mechanism of its interaction with spacecraft.

Many Anniversaries AheadConsidering its long and diverse history of achievements over the

past century, HIT expects to see even more success ahead. Work at HIT has changed how we see our world, and we will continue to benefit the world with technology innovation in the next century.

sensing small satellite. Lastly, the Zhuhai-1 Group 2 and 3 satellites opened a new approach to quickly developing low-cost commercial satellites. Other aerospace applications at HIT include satellite laser

communications, optical-fiber sensors, space-based remote sensing, and LiDAR (light detection and ranging). For example, in 2017, China’s SJ-13 satellite reached a data rate of 5 Gb/s for space-to-ground communications and a link distance of 37,500 km.

Big Data and Management ScienceHIT’s School of Management, an AI team from the School of

Computer Science, and statisticians from the Department of Mathematics work together to form the discipline of Big Data and Management Science (BDMS), which utilizes resources on all HIT campuses.BDMS helps to address China’s most challenging socioeconomic

problems, such as optimizing equipment manufacturing and implementing information systems for key projects, including the Three Gorges Project, a hydroelectric dam. The Research Center for Big Data and FinTech Innovation was started in 2013, focusing on big data analytics, computational finance, internet finance, and blockchain technology. Qiang Ye, center director and dean of the School of Management, studies issues that arise in the field of emerging financial services. Using data from search engines and social media, Ye’s team has found new behavior patterns in investors; these findings have contributed to evolving theories about finance in the era of information technologies.In 2013, the eHealth Research Center was founded to explore

health sector challenges caused by demographic changes, such as an aging population. One research project at the center, for instance, showed how physician-driven information and communication technologies (ICTs) can improve the well-being of patients with chronic diseases and even improve the patient–physician relationship. In BDMS, scientists also investigate and teach various aspects

of finance—many learning opportunities exist, and new ones are being added. In 2018, for instance, HIT started its FinTech (finance and technology) MBA program in Shenzhen. Also, new majors for undergraduates—such as big data management and application, computational finance, and others—provide more choices for students besides the traditional tracks.

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Executive MBA students at their graduation ceremony

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