Seeking truth in the brain's deepest recesses, applying knowledge when the era needs it most — 2026 Graduate Commencement Ceremony of CIBR

Amid summer cicadas’ song and a gentle farewell melody, on the morning of June 30, the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing held its 2026 Graduate Commencement Ceremony. Twenty-eight graduates successfully completed their studies and are about to embark on a new journey in brain research and technological innovation, exploring new frontiers of human cognition. Institute leaders, members of the Training and Advisory Committee, faculty representatives, and the Class of 2026 gathered to witness this important moment. The ceremony was presided over by Professor Xiong Wei, Chair of the Institute’s Training and Advisory Committee and a researcher.

Director's Address: The Brain Is Plastic, and So Is Life

Address by Director Luo Minmin

Professor Luo Minmin, Director of the Institute, extended warm congratulations to all the graduates and reflected on their journey of growth at the Institute. He noted that scientific training has not only equipped the students with experimental skills, but more importantly, has cultivated in them the courage to face the unknown, confront failure head-on, and persevere in exploration. From the early days of uncertainty when they first entered the lab to becoming capable of independent thinking and boldly asking scientific questions, each graduate has grown into a true researcher through countless trials and errors.

Director Luo Minmin remarked that the path of scientific research is never smooth, and new challenges will inevitably arise in the future. However, what truly sustains researchers on their journey forward is the conviction of always embracing their dreams and believing that exploration will ultimately bring value to human life and health.

As they prepared to depart, he encouraged the graduates to always maintain a passion for learning and the capacity for continuous growth. “‘Neural plasticity’ is not only an important law of brain science, but also a profound inspiration for continuous progress in life,” he said. He expressed his hope that they would carry the scientific spirit and innovative capacity they have gained at the Institute into the future, and realize their life’s value in the cause of serving people’s life and health.

Address by the Faculty Representative: “What Doctoral Training Gives You Is the Ability to Face the Unknown”

Address by Faculty Representative Shi Wei

Professor Shi Wei, a researcher and faculty representative, extended her sincere blessings to the graduates. She said that the most valuable gain from doctoral training has never been merely a thesis and a degree, but rather the ability to keep thinking and solve complex problems when facing the unknown. This ability will become the graduates’ most solid foundation of confidence when confronting life's challenges in the future.

Professor Shi Wei recalled the shared scientific journey of teachers and students. From the frustration of failed experiments to the joy of breakthroughs in research projects; from repeatedly overturning hypotheses and starting anew, to ultimately presenting one’s research findings with confidence — every step of growth embodies the joint efforts of teachers and students exploring together and helping each other succeed.

Looking ahead, she encouraged the graduates that whether they continue to delve deeply into scientific research or move into different fields, she hopes they will always maintain curiosity and courage. When facing difficulties, do not easily doubt yourselves; when encountering opportunities, bravely take that step forward, because “there are many things where you’ll only know how far you can go once you step in yourself.”

Recognition of 2026 Beijing Outstanding Graduates

In accordance with the unified selection criteria of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, two students from the Institute, Shi Yixing and Zhang Houyu, have been named 2026 Beijing Outstanding Graduates in recognition of their excellent academic performance, solid research capabilities, and outstanding overall qualities. Ye Yihong, Deputy Director of the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, announced the list of outstanding graduates and presented commemorative gifts to the awardees.

Deputy Director Ye Yihong Presents Awards to Outstanding Graduates

On behalf of the Institute, Professor Ye Yihong extended warm congratulations to the two students and encouraged them to always uphold the scientific spirit of seeking truth, being pragmatic, and daring to explore, so as to continuously achieve new breakthroughs in the future. He also offered his best wishes to all the graduates, hoping that they would carry the capabilities, convictions, and sense of responsibility gained at the Institute forward on their respective life paths, respond to the needs of the era with concrete actions, and contribute to scientific and technological innovation and the people’s life and health.

Addresses by Graduate Representatives

Three graduate representatives, Shi Yixing, Zhang Houyu, and Wang Na, shared their growth and gains at the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, based on their own academic experiences. They also expressed their gratitude to their mentors, fellow students, and the Institute, as well as their anticipation for the future journey in scientific research.

Shi Yixing: Forging a Researcher’s Resilience in the Unknown

Shi Yixing looked back on her six-year journey transitioning from clinical medicine into brain science research. She candidly shared that from the initial curiosity about neurobiology that brought her to the Institute, to experiencing countless failed experiments and repeated rebuilding from scratch, she gradually came to understand that the most important gain in scientific research is not the smooth completion of an experiment, but the courage to keep exploring when facing the unknown and uncertainty.

Standing at a time when artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, with technology constantly evolving and research paradigms continuously changing, she believes that what truly sustains researchers moving forward will always be the ability to discover, formulate, and solve problems. What doctoral training imparts is not merely the methods to solve known problems, but more importantly, the resilience to maintain a sense of direction in the unknown and to constantly surpass oneself.

Zhang Houyu: Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries and Finding Direction Through Exploration

Zhang Houyu shared his academic journey of entering the field of brain science from a cross-disciplinary background. Having primarily focused on bioinformatics during his undergraduate and master’s studies, he had almost no experimental foundation when he entered the Institute. However, his mentor consistently encouraged him to leverage his computational strengths and boldly explore new research directions, allowing him to gradually grow into a researcher capable of independently conducting interdisciplinary studies.

Reflecting on his five-year doctoral career, his deepest takeaway was that no learning experience will ever be wasted, and every cross-disciplinary attempt may become an important foundation for future innovation. A good mentor is not one who molds students into a uniform shape, but one who helps them discover their own strengths and continuously pushes them to their fullest potential. At the Institute, scientific research is not only a journey of exploring the unknown, but also a journey traveled together with mentors and classmates.

Wang Na: What Scientific Research Has Taught Us Goes Beyond Research Itself

Wang Na shared her reflections on growth during her studies at the Institute. From the initial anxiety when facing the unknowns of research as a newcomer to the lab, to breakthroughs after repeated trial and error, she gradually came to understand that the meaning of research lies not only in achieving results, but also in always upholding the conviction of seeking truth and drawing ever closer to the truth through prolonged exploration.

She expressed that, accompanied by her mentor and lab mates, everyone experienced experimental failures and project breakthroughs together, and also learned to face the ups and downs and challenges in research with a more composed mindset. Those seemingly ordinary acts of perseverance ultimately became the most precious accumulation of growth.

Turning the Tassel and Embarking on a New Journey

Institute leaders and mentors took turns turning the tassels for the graduates, conferring their degree certificates, and posing for group photos.

Graduation is not the end, but a new beginning. In the future, these students will head to universities, research institutes, medical institutions, and the front lines of industrial innovation, continuing to pursue their scientific dreams in various positions and contributing to the advancement of brain science and the people’s life and health. The Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing will continue to accompany generations of young scientific talents on their journey of growth, striving to cultivate young scientists with a global vision, an innovative spirit, and a sense of social responsibility. Together, they will explore the frontiers of brain science and contribute more wisdom and strength to building China into a strong nation in science and technology.