Forty-six outstanding scientists from 28 institutions in 13 cities were named as 2023 New Cornerstone Investigators, including Prof. Jianjun Cheng, chair professor of materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering at Westlake University.

Prof. Jianjun Cheng

Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Dean of the School of Engineering

Cheng obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Nankai University in 1993 and a Ph.D. degree in materials science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2001. He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at MIT from 2004 to 2005. He joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as a tenure-track assistant professor in 2005, was promoted to associate professor in 2011, and then to full professor in 2015 (distinguished promotion). In 2016, he was appointed as the Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UIUC. He joined Westlake University as chair professor of materials science and engineering and dean of the School of Engineering in August 2021.

Helices are important secondary structures of living materials such as protein and DNA. Cheng’s research led to the discovery of helix-induced cooperative polymerization, which is important in bioinspired synthesis, polymerization chemistry, catalytic reactions, and the origins of living materials.

Cheng is interested in polymer chemistry; the synthesis, development, and application of polypeptide biomaterials; nanomedicine; drug and gene delivery; cell labeling and cancer targeting' and self-healing materials.

The New Cornerstone Investigator Program is a nonprofit, independent funding initiative that takes a forward-thinking approach to encouraging basic research spearheaded by leading scientists. Tencent has pledged to provide 10 billion RMB over 10 years while exploring the feasibility of a long-term sustainable fund for the program.

In keeping with its motto of “People, not Projects”, the program aims to facilitate exceptional scientists to explore new phenomena, achieve scientific breakthroughs, and develop new fields.

The program is guided by scientists, and a scientific committee makes the key decisions in the review and selection of applicants. Yigong Shi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Westlake University, serves as chair of the Scientific Committee.