October 30, 2015
Visiting scholar honored by Chinese government
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A researcher working at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is the recipient of an honor from the Chinese government.
Jixiong Zhang, visiting scholar in the Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering in the College of Engineering at SIU, received the Distinguished Professor Award of the Jiangsu Province in the People’s Republic of China. The Jiangsu Province award carries $350,000 in funding for scientific research, and $60,000 in additional related salaries. Zhang was the only faculty member from his university selected for this honor.
A professor in the China University of Mining and Technology, the China Scholarship Council has paid for Zhang to come to SIU and work with Yoginder “Paul” Chugh, professor of mining and mineral resources engineering at SIU.
Chugh previously received a $150,000 Distinguished Overseas Professor grant from the education ministry of China to study and conduct research for five years. He generally travels to China twice a year to lecture and assist in research, which is how he met Zhang, who asked to work with Chugh on his research.