Chancellor

Professor Yang Fujia was formally installed as The University of Nottingham's sixth Chancellor on 4 July 2001, the first time that a Chinese academic has become Chancellor of a UK university.

He is a keen advocate of a global approach to education, making him the natural choice for Nottingham. Renowned as the man who introduced the concept of the knowledge-based economy to China, he places strong emphasis on the internationalisation of education as a vital element of the knowledge era.

A graduate in physics from Fudan University in Shanghai, Professor Yang was appointed Lecturer and then Professor of Physics. He was President of Fudan University from 1993 until 1999.

Previous roles

Other roles which Professor Yang has held include:

• Director of the Shanghai Institute of Nuclear Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1987-2001
• Chairman of the Shanghai Science and Technology Association from 1992-1996
• President of the Association of Presidents of China from 1997-1999
• Visiting professorships at Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen; Rutgers University, New Jersey; the State University of New York; and the University of Tokyo
• Council Member representing China on the Association of East Asia Research Universities
• Member of the International Association of University Presidents
• Member of the Association of University Presidents of the Pacific Rim.

Current roles

Professor Yang has been the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST) since 2001. He is also the only Chinese Board member of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), co-chaired by Ted Turner and Sam Nunn.

Honorary degrees

Professor Yang holds honorary degrees from:

• Soka University, Tokyo, Japan
• The State University of New York
• The University of Hong Kong
• The University of Nottingham
• The University of Connecticut.