【Master Forum】Why Is It So Important to Step Beyond the Traditional Cognitive Framework of Research?
Topic:?Why Is It So Important to Step Beyond the Traditional Cognitive Framework of Research? —Starting from Interdisciplinary Studies
Speaker:?Research Professor?Chen Yongjun
Host:?Professor Ben Zhong Tang
Date:?Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Time:?10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Venue:?SIN Wai Kin International Conference Centre (W201), Administration Building
Language:?Chinese
Abstract:?
Above disciplinary boundaries lies fertile ground for new knowledge. When exploration within a single discipline reaches its limits, truly transformative scientific breakthroughs often emerge in the uncharted territories where disciplines converge. What is interdisciplinarity? Why should we pursue it? And how can it be realized? Centering on these key questions, based on his management experience in the field of interdisciplinary science, Researcher Chen Yongjun will provide an in-depth analysis of why breaking the traditional cognitive framework is crucial for contemporary scientific research, from three dimensions: the essential nature of interdisciplinary science, practical exploration, and current challenges. This lecture aims to help young scholars gain a more comprehensive understanding of the developmental logic of interdisciplinary science, confront the existing problems and challenges in current interdisciplinary research, and explore the path forward for interdisciplinary science through strong, broad, and deep interdisciplinarity.
Speaker Profile:
Chen Yongjun, research professor, former Executive Deputy Director of the Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences at the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), currently serves as a member of the Second Advisory Committee of the NSFC. He earned his Ph.D. in April 1993 from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium (May 1993–November 1996) and the Department of Chemistry, University College London (UCL), UK (December 1996–June 1999). After returning to China in June 1999, he joined the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he served successively as Associate Researcher, Researcher, and Doctoral Supervisor. From May 2002 to October 2020, he held various positions in the Department of Chemical Sciences at the NSFC, including Project Director of Chemical Biology (rotating), Deputy Director of the Department of Chemistry (2003), and Executive Deputy Director (2015). From October 2020 to November, 2023, he served as the Executive Deputy Director of the Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences at the NSFC.
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