East China Normal University was founded on October 16, 1951, based on Daxia University (1924) and Guanghua University (1925), and transferred some departments from St. John's University, Fudan University, Tongji University and Zhejiang University. In 1972, it merged with Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai University of Sport and other institutions and changed its name to Shanghai Normal University. In 1980, the name of East China Normal University was restored. From 1997 to 1998, Shanghai Preschool Normal College, Shanghai Institute of Education and Shanghai Second College of Education were merged into the school.
Qian Xuhong, the current academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of East China Normal University, is as follows:
Born on February 19, 1962 in Baoying County, Jiangsu Province, he is an outstanding expert in organic chemical industry and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and President and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of East China Normal University. In addition, he is the Vice President of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, an Honorary Professor at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and an Ambassador Scientist of the Humboldt Society in Germany.
His academic career began in 1978 when he entered the Department of Petrochemical Engineering of East China Institute of Chemical Technology (now East China University of Science and Technology) and obtained a bachelor's degree. He then received his master's degree in 1985 and his doctorate in engineering in 1988, after which he remained as a lecturer.
In the early days, Qian Xuhong was promoted many times during her tenure at the school, including serving as deputy secretary of the general party branch and director of the subject. In 1989, he worked as a research assistant at the University of Rama in Texas, USA, and the following year did postdoctoral research at the University of Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany.
With the continuous accumulation of academic achievements, he was promoted to vice president of East China University of Science and Technology in 1996, and was selected into the National Millions of Talents Project in 1997. In 2000, he received the National Science Grant for Distinguished Young Scholars and went to Dalian University of Technology as a distinguished professor. His outstanding contributions earned him the honor of being elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2011.
In 2004, he returned to his alma mater and assumed the position of president of East China University of Science and Technology. During his tenure as Principal, the school has grown significantly, and his exceptional ability in leadership and management has been fully demonstrated.
Qian Xuhong is a professional in the field of organic chemical industry, and he has made outstanding research and development work in this field. His research focuses on the molecular design, synthesis and preparation, functional performance evaluation, structure-activity relationship analysis and industrial application of organic chemicals.
He has made important contributions to fluorination and aromatic hybridization, and has developed green and efficient key technologies for the preparation of polyfluoroaromatic acids. In addition, he has created new mechanisms, cis-nitroene heterocyclic and fluorine-containing green chemical pesticides with unique properties, and aromatic heterocyclic fluorescent functional dyes that integrate molecular recognition, sensing, detection and separation.
As of February 2021, Qian Xuhong has published 275 SCI** and 64 EI** papers. He has also obtained 19 Chinese invention patents, 12 international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents, and patents in the United States, Europe and Japan. His research achievements have won many honors such as the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
In January 2018, Qian Xuhong was hired as the president and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of East China Normal University. In the field of education, he advocates the use of first-class learning as the most basic method, and promotes the promotion of first-class learning in primary and secondary schools, and research-based learning at the university level. He emphasized the balance between arts and sciences, and advocated that the arts and sciences should be taken into account in the high school curriculum to cultivate more well-rounded talents.