Investing in international talent: the Wu Yi-fang Junior Faculty Award Fund

By Sara Carrier

The University of Michigan has long stood as a beacon for academic excellence and innovation, welcoming scholars from every corner of the globe. For early-career researchers and faculty, U‑M offers not only resources and mentorship, but also recognition through programs that empower the next generation of scientific and academic leaders. Among the latest examples is the Wu Yi-fang Junior Faculty Award—a tribute to a historic figure in international education and a promise to support junior faculty who bring fresh perspectives to today’s research landscape. As U‑M continues to set the standard for cultivating research careers, this award further cements the university’s reputation as the premier launchpad for global talent.

Honoring Dr. Wu Yi-fang

Dr. Wu Yi‑fang 吳貽芳 (1893–1985) was a pioneering educator and global leader, earning her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Michigan in 1928 as a Barbour Scholar. She was the first Chinese woman to serve as a university president, leading Ginling College for 23 years, and was among only four women to sign the United Nations Charter in 1945. Wu’s legacy embodies educational excellence, cross-cultural understanding, and courageous leadership—inspiring generations worldwide. 

The Wu Yi‑fang Junior Faculty Award, co-sponsored by the U‑M Office of the Provost and the Association of Chinese Professors (UM-ACP), honors her remarkable legacy. It recognizes junior faculty across all U‑M campuses who demonstrate exceptional scholarly potential and a commitment to fostering cross-cultural exchanges between Greater China and the United States.

The impact of donor support

To ensure the award’s longevity, the Wu Yi‑fang Junior Faculty Award Fund has been created to provide enduring support for junior faculty. The establishment of this fund stems from a leading donor’s commitment to its primary goal: attracting and retaining top international research talent at Michigan. The donor hopes their inaugural gift will inspire others who share an interest in faculty research and international support to contribute to the fund.
 
The extraordinary work of this year’s award recipients demonstrates the impact donor support can have. Their achievements reflect the very goals this fund was created to realize and highlight the importance of ongoing contributions in nurturing outstanding talent at U‑M.

2026 Wu Yi-fang awardees

This year’s five Wu Yi‑fang Junior Faculty Award recipients exemplify U‑M’s unique strengths and global reach.

• Amy I-Lin Cheng is a native of Taiwan and an assistant professor of music at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Cheng’s work bridges Western and Chinese musical traditions, elevating both scholarly and community engagement at U‑M and around the world.
   
• Xiwen Gong, a native of China, is an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the College of Engineering. Gong pioneers research in electronic materials and wearable optoelectronics—work that has garnered significant international recognition and prestigious honors. 
   
• Jiahe Li is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the Medical School. He leads a synthetic biology lab that engineers bacteria as programmable therapeutics—including probiotics that neutralize cancer-causing gut toxins and bacteria that activate anti-tumor immune responses.
   
• Yixin Wang is an assistant professor of statistics at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Wang develops statistical and machine learning methods for causal inference, with applications in healthcare, algorithmic fairness, and recommendation systems.
   
• Siyu Yu is an assistant professor of management and organizations. Yu studies how social hierarchies shape individual success and team dynamics, drawing on field studies in Chinese organizations, lab experiments, and social network analysis.

We were able to speak to two of the recipients to gain deeper insight into their academic journeys and the significance of the Wu Yi‑fang Junior Faculty Award:

My experience has been that the University of Michigan environment values and fosters cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration. My training and performances are rooted in Western classical music, but opportunities to collaborate on projects that bridge Western and Eastern musical traditions with colleagues and guest artists from the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments and School of Music, Theatre & Dance have brought a deeper appreciation and understanding of musical practices from different parts of the world. Receiving the Wu Yi-fang Junior Faculty Award will allow me to continue exploring the concept of musical intersection and how musical elements from different cultures are interwoven and enrich one another.
— Amy I-Lin Cheng

At the University of Michigan, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a highly collaborative and forward-thinking environment that has shaped my research toward real-world applications in energy and wearable systems. The support from colleagues and students has been instrumental in refining both my research goals and approach to mentorship. Receiving the Wu Yi-fang Junior Faculty Award is an honor that reinforces the value of this work and the importance of fostering global perspectives in engineering. It encourages me to continue pushing the boundaries of interdisciplinary research.
— Xiwen Gong

Look to Michigan: sustaining global research at Michigan
In an era when international collaboration and diverse viewpoints are essential to scholarly progress, the Wu Yi-Fang Junior Faculty Award stands out as both a celebration of legacy and a catalyst for the future. As the two-year, university-wide Life-Changing Education theme year continues, the Wu Yi‑fang Junior Faculty Award Fund is only just beginning its journey, poised to inspire and support the next generation of life-changing education for global scholars at Michigan. For those who wish to support the Wu Yi-fang legacy and international research talent at U‑M, click the Related Fund button.