The Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University (IIIS), established in 2011, is led by Prof. Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, the Turing Award laureate, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The institute is dedicated to cultivating world-class innovative talents in interdisciplinary information fields with global competitiveness.
Its research spans three major frontiers: computer science, quantum information, and artificial intelligence, with extensive interdisciplinary integration into economics, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. The IIIS also explores deep industry-research collaboration models, driving technological applications in AI, quantum technologies, and FinTech to support national strategic industries.
IIIS hosts top-tier education programs and research centers, including Yao Class, founded in 2005, hailed as a benchmark for elite undergraduate education and awarded both the First Prize in China's National Teaching Achievement Award and the Special Prize in Beijing's Teaching Achievement Award, as well as Center for Quantum Information (CQI), established in 2011 and now a global hub for quantum research.
Since its establishment, the IIIS has built a strong faculty team led by Prof. Yao, including 32 high-level overseas talents. As of January 2024, it has nurtured over 600 undergraduates, 167 PhDs, and 85 master's graduates, with more than 60 alumni now teaching at top international universities and many emerging as leading entrepreneurs.
Prof. Yao said, "The future of science lies at the intersection of disciplines." Looking ahead, the IIIS will continue addressing urgent foundational challenges in technology and applications, serving national strategic priorities, and striving to become a world-class interdisciplinary research institution in information sciences.