On May 30, a ceremony was held at the Zhongguancun Innovation Think Tank Center to officially appoint Professor Edward Melhuish, an internationally renowned expert, professor at the Department of Education from the University of Oxford, and fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, as a guest professor at our university. The president of our university, Liu Lin, the director of the Academic Committee Guo Guangsheng, and vice president Yuan Jia attended the event, along with representatives from the School of Education, the Children's Research Center, and the Training Center.
President Liu Lin announced the appointment decision and delivered a speech expressing the university’s firm commitment to introducing world-class academic talent, strengthening disciplinary development, and promoting the cause of children's education. Guo Guangsheng presented Professor Melhuish with the official appointment letter, pinned the university badge on him, and gifted him a snuff bottle with his portrait as interior painting, and a stone seal engraved with his English name, both handcrafted by our school faculties, which drew warm applause from the audience.
In his acceptance speech, Professor Melhuish remarked, “I am deeply impressed by Beijing City University’s dedication to child education practices. I look forward to exploring the integration of neuroscience and educational practice to contribute to child development.” He expressed strong support for the university’s strategic initiative to build an innovative platform for child development and education. In addition to participating actively through online means, he pledged to spend time working on campus annually and help recommend more outstanding international talents to join in this meaningful endeavor.
Prior to the appointment ceremony, on May 22, Professor Melhuish visited our Shunyi Campus and related school. Before the tour, the Party Committee Secretary of the university, Gong Yu, met with him, introducing the university’s profile. Accompanied by Chen Qiurong, the head of the school of Cultural Heritage, Professor Melhuish toured projects such as the digital restoration of a Ming Dynasty lacquer coffin and micro-trace technology used to restore ancient stone inscriptions, praising the effort as “a demonstration of Eastern wisdom where technology meets tradition.” During his visit to the School of Education, accompanied by its director Zhou Jianhui and falcuty members, with whom he exchanged insights while observing Montessori geometry teaching and picture book reading courses. He particularly endorsed infant massage exercises for neural development.
Later that afternoon, Professor Melhuish delivered a lecture titled “Early Childhood Education, Neuroscience, and Long-Term Child Development” in the West Lecture Hall on Shunyi Campus. Citing cross-national empirical studies, he demonstrated that high-quality early childhood education significantly enhances lifelong developmental competencies for children, with language skills and self-regulation abilities being pivotal. In the Q&A session, students and faculty engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as “the boundaries of digital technology in education” and “targeted interventions for disadvantaged children”.
As an internationally recognized authority in child education research and policy-making, Professor Melhuish’s appointment will bring significant vitality and expertise to our university’s child education discipline, marking a new chapter in international collaboration and further elevating our university’s global influence and academic standings in this critical area.
