Tsinghua Department of Astronomy Welcomes Renowned Astronomer

The Department of Astronomy enrolled a new member – Prof. Li Di, a renowned astronomer and chief scientist of the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) on July 12. His joining marks the further development of Astronomy at Tsinghua University in terms of scientific research strength.

Prior to joining Tsinghua University, Prof. Li Di was a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories, CAS. He has been the project scientist of FAST since 2008 and the chief scientist of FAST since 2018, focusing on astrophysics and space science, and is an internationally renowned radio astronomer. He has made original contributions in observational studies of star formation, radio instruments and techniques, astrochemistry and spectroscopy, pulsar search and fast radio bursts, and data analysis algorithms.

Prof. Li Di has received the National Innovation Award, the National Science Council Scholar Award, the Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievement Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the “Science and Technology Person of the Year” award of the 2023 Influential People, and was recently awarded the 17th Marcel Grossman Award on July 9, 2024 (CET).

The joining of Prof. Li Di will fill a major gap in the field of radio astronomy in the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University. Prof. Li’s joining is also of great significance in promoting complementary synergies between radio astronomy and other wavelength probes, and enhancing the scope and international influence of the department.