Recently, the Shandong Provincial Department of Education issued the "Notice on Commending Outstanding Graduate Supervisors and Graduate Supervision Teams in Shandong Province for 2025". The "Blinding Corneal Disease Prevention and Treatment Supervision Team", led by Principal Supervisor Academician Xie Lixin from our institute, was awarded the title of 2025 Outstanding Graduate Supervision Team in Shandong Province. Additionally, Professor Zhou Qingjun was honored as an Outstanding Graduate Supervisor in Shandong Province for 2025.

Outstanding Graduate Supervision Team: Blinding Corneal Disease Prevention and Treatment Supervision Team

The Blinding Corneal Disease Prevention and Treatment Supervision Team is guided and led by Principal Supervisor Academician Xie Lixin. The team currently comprises 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 1 effective candidate for academician and National Distinguished Physician, 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Category A), 1 Distinguished Professor of the Changjiang Scholars Program, 1 National Outstanding Young Physician, and 8 Young Experts of the Taishan Scholars Program in Shandong Province. This constitutes a first-class ophthalmic supervision faculty characterized by "academician guidance, leadership by national-level talents, and a focus on young and middle-aged doctors".

Focusing on the prevention and treatment of blinding corneal diseases in China, the team has developed a distinctive talent cultivation system in ophthalmology through the "dual-Principal Investigator (PI) guidance" supervision model, integrating clinical and basic science experts. The training philosophy emphasizes technological breakthroughs to foster innovation, clinical practice to enhance capabilities, and ideological and cultural education to shape values. To date, the team has cultivated over 500 master's and doctoral students, providing a solid and stable talent pool and intellectual support for the high-quality development of ophthalmic science in China.

Outstanding Graduate Supervisor

Professor Zhou Qingjun is a professor, researcher (Level II), and doctoral supervisor. He serves as the Executive Deputy Director of the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eye Diseases, Vice Director of the Institute of Eye Research affiliated with Shandong First Medical University, and Vice President of Qingdao Eye Hospital affiliated with Shandong First Medical University. He is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Category A), a recipient of the National "Ten Thousand Talents Plan" for Young Top-notch Talents, a recipient of the Outstanding Youth Fund of Shandong Province, and a Distinguished Expert of the Taishan Scholars Program in Shandong Province.

In his role as a graduate supervisor, Professor Zhou Qingjun consistently adheres to the fundamental principle of "fostering virtue and nurturing talent," focusing on cultivating students' scientific research innovation abilities and forming an integrated approach to "moral education" and "academic cultivation." He guides graduate students to base their scientific on major clinical needs, promotes the deep integration of basic and clinical research, and supports students in pursuing cutting-edge academic studies. He has supervised over 20 master's and doctoral graduates, and their representative research achievements have been published in internationally renowned journals such as Nature Communications (IF: 15.7/Q1) and ACS Nano (IF: 17.1/Q1).

In recent years, the Institute of Eye Research has consistently focused on strengthening its faculty. Through initiatives such as deepening supervisor selection processes and implementing the "Faculty International Competency Enhancement Program," the institute has achieved dual improvements in the professional capabilities and educational proficiency of its supervision team. Moving forward, the institute will leverage this recognition as an opportunity to fully utilize the exemplary and leading role of outstanding supervision teams and supervisors. It aims to promote the connotative development of graduate education and provide solid support and assurance for cultivating high-level ophthalmic talents and advancing the development of first-class disciplines.