Most academics take eight to 10 years after earning a PhD to become doctoral supervisors. But semiconductor scientist Jiang Jianfeng has done it in just 18 months.
The 30-year-old only earned his PhD in June 2024. After briefly serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he has now returned to Peking University to serve as a principal investigator, associate professor and PhD supervisor.
Jiang’s research focuses on two-dimensional indium selenide (InSe). This material challenges the existing “silicon-based hegemony” and could help China leap ahead in the chip sector.
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“Since my undergraduate graduation project, I have been engaged in InSe semiconductor research,” Jiang said in a July 2025 interview with DeepTech, a well-known Chinese affiliate of MIT Technology Review.
“From Shandong University to Peking University and then to MIT – it has been nine years in a flash.”
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Jiang earned his master’s from Shandong University in 2020, receiving its President’s Award, and his PhD from Peking University in 2024, where he was awarded its highest honour – the May Fourth Medal.
