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Panelist
Ya-Qin Zhang
Chair Professor, Tsinghua University
Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research (AIR)
Tsinghua University
Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang is Chair Professor of AI Science at Tsinghua University, and Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research of Tsinghua University (AIR). He was the President of Baidu Inc. from 2014 to 2019. Prior to Baidu, Dr. Zhang was a Microsoft executive for 16 years with different key positions, including Managing Director of Microsoft Research Asia, Chairman of Microsoft China, and Corporate Vice President and Chairman of Microsoft Asia R&D.
Dr. Zhang was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), the Australian Academy of Engineering (ATSE), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and the Euro-Asia Academy of Sciences. He is a Fellow of IEEE and CAAI. He is one of the top scientists and technologists in digital video and AI, with over 500 papers, 60 granted US patents, and 11 books. His original research has become the basis for start-up ventures, new products, and international standards in digital video, cloud computing, and autonomous driving.
He serves on the Board of Directors of four public companies. He is on the industry board of United Nation Development Program (UNDP), and AI global council of the Davos World Economic Forum. He is the Chairman of world’s largest open autonomous driving platform “Apollo” alliance with over 200 global partners. He has been an active speaker in global forums including APEC, Davos, United Nations, and Bo’Ao Asia Forum.
The 11th Dialogue on Asian Universities (DAU11) will delve into how technological innovation and shifting geopolitical landscapes are fundamentally redefining the global talent ecosystem. As AI and other emerging technologies accelerate, universities must rethink how they develop, attract, and retain the world’s brightest minds.
This session will explore the strategic choices Asian institutions face—from designing cutting-edge curricula and research initiatives to forging international partnerships—to ensure their graduates remain competitive and their campuses stay at the forefront of global discovery.
From Insight to Impact
Uniting Thought Leaders to Navigate the Future of Asian Universities
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Insights from the forefront of higher education.
Join DAU live on Zoom as we bring together leading voices in higher education for unparalleled insights, unique perspectives, and in-depth discussions. Dialogue 11 will run for approximately 90 minutes and will be conducted in English.
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Dialogue 11
Tectonic Shift in the Global Talent Chain:
The Forces of Technology and Geopolitics
Panelist
Rangan Banerjee
Director
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Panelist
Ya-Qin Zhang
Chair Professor, Tsinghua University
Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research
Tsinghua University
Moderator
Tony F Chan
Former President
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
2025.06.23 UTC 4:00
Panelist
Rangan Banerjee
Director
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Prof. Rangan Banerjee is currently the Director, IIT Delhi. From February 2022 he is on lien from IIT Bombay where he served as the Forbes Marshall Chair Professor in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering - a department that he helped start in 2007. His areas of interest include energy management, modelling of energy systems, energy planning and policy, hydrogen energy and fuel cells.
Prof. Rangan Banerjee currently serves on the editorial board of International Journal of Sustainable Energy, International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, International Journal of Thermodynamics, Solar Energy Advances, Global Transitions (Energy Transitions). He has been involved in setting up a megawatt scale Solar Thermal Power Testing, Simulation, Research Facility sponsored by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and is the faculty advisor of Team Shunya- India’s first student team in the Solar Decathlon Europe finals. He has been involved in advising the city, state regulatory commission and energy agency, Niti Aayog, MNRE on energy issues and worked with several Indian and international industries.
Prof. Banerjee has been the Dean (R&D) and received the Excellence in Teaching Award from IIT Bombay and is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. Prof. Banerjee is also an Adjunct faculty (Honorary) in the Department of Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University.
Moderator
Tony F Chan
Former President
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Former President
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Professor Tony Chan was the third president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia from September 2018 to August 2024. Under his leadership, KAUST was ranking #1 university in the Arab World by Times Higher Education. Before KAUST, he was president of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 2009-2018. There he led the university during a stage of maturation into its third decade, leading to being ranked by QS as Asia’s number one university three years in a row from 2011-2013. Before joining HKUST, Professor Chan was Assistant Director of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate at the US National Science Foundation from 2006 to 2009. MPS was the largest Directorate at NSF, with an annual budget over $1B, and encompasses five disciplines: astronomy, chemistry, material science, mathematical sciences and physics. After obtaining his PhD from Stanford in 1978, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech. Then he was an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Yale University from 1979-1986 before joining UCLA as Professor of Mathematics and was Chair of the Department of Mathematics 1997-2000 and later Dean of Physical Sciences 2001-2006. He was a co-founder of the US NSF funded National Math Institute IPAM, and served as its Director from 2000-2001. He has served on many boards and advisory committees of universities and other organizations around the world, including currently the boards of trustees of Yidan Prize (HK), Future Investment Institute (KSA), Skoltech (Russia), and international advisory boards/committees of RIKEN (Japan), KAIST (Korea), SUSTech (China), Westlake University (China), and American Univeristy of Sharjah (UAE). He received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Engineering from Caltech in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University in 1978. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and is an honorary doctorate of University of Strathclyde in Scotland and University of Waterloo in Canada.
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