Zijie Qu, a faculty member of the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI, JI hereafter) has been awarded the first prize in the category of Applied Disciplines in Natural Sciences at the 9th SJTU Young Faculty Teaching Competition.
The competition, a significant initiative to enhance teaching excellence at the university, concluded recently with 49 faculty members from 24 departments or institutes participating in the final round. Qu distinguished himself with his strong teaching fundamentals, earning the highest honor in his category.
Organized under the theme of “Teaching Excellence and Educational Dedication,” the annual competition is designed to elevate the teaching capabilities of young faculty through a comprehensive evaluation process. Participants are assessed across three areas: teaching design, classroom teaching, and teaching reflection. The process includes submitting a complete course syllabus, a teaching plan for five class sessions, and PowerPoint slides. In the final round, competitors deliver a 20-minute teaching demonstration on a randomly assigned topic and conduct an on-the-spot reflection to analyze the strengths and areas for improvement in their teaching.
Zijie Qu
Zijie Qu is a tenure-track assistant professor and Ph.D. advisor at JI. He earned his bachelor’s degree from SJTU in 2013, a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 2014, and a Ph.D. in engineering as well as a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from Brown University in 2018. From 2018 to 2021, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology.
Since joining the Joint Institute in July 2021, Qu has published multiple academic papers in areas including fluid mechanics, experimental fluid techniques, microbiofluidics, non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, active matter, and soft matter systems. He teaches courses such as Fluid Mechanics, Science, Art, and Philosophy, Applied Biofluid Mechanics, and Intensified Physics.
