Campus Culture

Westlake Residential College

Blending the traditions of ancient Chinese academies with the practices of residential colleges at renowned research universities worldwide, the Westlake Residential College system serves as the foundation and central pillar of our university's mission to nurture exceptional innovative talent and future leaders with a strong sense of social responsibility.

 

The four Westlake Residential Colleges—Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta—serve as living and learning communities for undergraduate students with diverse academic interests and family and cultural backgrounds. Each residential college features unique architecture, decor, common areas, dining halls, and other amenities.

Alpha College: Inclusiveness and Gratitude

Ling Li
Dean of the Alpha College

Ling Li

Chair Professor in Environmental Hydrology
"Believe in yourself! No pain, no gain!"

Dr. Li graduated from Tsinghua University with a Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) degree in 1988, and received his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 1998. Between 1997 and 1998, he held a position of Lecturer in School of Engineering and Technology at Deakin University, Australia. In 1999, he moved to the University of Edinburgh (U.K.) as a Lecturer in School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In 2002, he took a position of Senior Lecturer in School of Engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia and was promoted to Professor directly in 2005. In 2018, he joined Westlake University.

 
Beta College: Truthfulness and Courage

Dan Yang
Dean of Beta College

Dan Yang

Chair Professor in Chemical Biology
"Do not fear failure; be courageous in the pursuit of truth!"

Dr. Yang obtained her B.Sc. degree in chemistry from Fudan University in 1985. Through the U.S.-China Chemistry Graduate Program, she obtained an M.A. from Columbia in 1988 under the direction of Professor Ronald Breslow. She then joined Professor Daniel Kahne’s group at Princeton and got her Ph.D. in 1991. In the same year, she won a postdoctoral fellowship award from the Cancer Research Institute in New York to support her two-year research in Professor Stuart Schreiber’s group at Harvard. She started her independent career on organic chemistry and chemical biology at the University of Hong Kong in 1993 and was later promoted to a chair professor of chemistry and the Morningside Professor in Chemical Biology. In August 2021, Prof. Yang joined Westlake University as a chair professor.

 
Gamma College: Diversity and Open-Mindedness

Jian Yang
Dean of Gamma College

Jian Yang

Tenured Professor of Statistical Genetics
"Hold fast to your dreams, and together we will learn, grow, and create the future!"
Dr. Yang received his PhD in 2008 from Zhejiang University, China, before undertaking postdoctoral research at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia (2008-2011). He moved to The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, as a Research Fellow in 2012 and was reappointed as a Senior Research Fellow and Group Leader in January 2014. He was promoted to be an Associate Professor in December 2014, and then a Professor in 2017 at UQ. He joined Westlake University in 2020.
Delta College: Persistence and Patience

Hongyu Chen
Dean of Delta College

Hongyu Chen

Tenured Professor of Chemistry
"Science follows logic, not common belief. The key to deep discoveries lies in individual persistence and endeavor."
Dr. Chen obtained his B. Sc. from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 1998, and then Ph.D. from Yale University in 2004. After working as a postdoctoral fellow in Cornell University, he joined Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore in 2006 as Assistant Professor. In 2011, he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. He served as Deputy Head of Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry (CBC); Assistant and then Associate Chair of School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS); and Associate Dean of College of Science. In 2016, he moved back to China and joined Nanjing Tech University, where he co-founded the Institute of Advanced Synthesis (IAS) and served as Executive Dean. He joined the School of Science, Westlake University in July 2021 as a tenured Professor and serves as Associate Vice President.