From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 99: Promoted to Researcher! Collaboration? This is an absolute steal!
Zhu Bingkun, Zhang Minghao, and their group booked flights for the morning of the following day.

Chen Shuai and Han Xiaoxu went back first.

Zhang Minghao, Zhu Bingkun, and Xue Kun changed their flight tickets and visited the Capital Institute of Condensed Matter Physics at Peng Jinquan's invitation.

The Capital Condensed Matter Physics Research Center is one of the top condensed matter physics research institutions in China, focusing on five key areas: condensed matter theory and simulation, quantum functions, superconducting mechanisms, and materials.

In the field of superconducting mechanisms and superconducting materials, the research center is one of the three major institutions, boasting the most advanced research environment and research capabilities.

Peng Jinquan's team is one of the core teams in the superconductivity research area of ​​the research center.

He warmly received Zhang Minghao and his two companions, first showing them around the entire research center, and then taking them to the main experimental building to visit the research base and laboratories.

Peng Jinquan and Zhang Minghao walked at the front together, and he explained as he walked.

There are so many things to see in the lab.

Zhu Bingkun and Xue Kun followed behind, both of them looking like country bumpkins visiting the city. They looked at this and touched that in the lab, and kept asking strange questions.

"Professor Peng, how much does this equipment cost?"

"From which company did you order it?"

"What are the equipment's performance parameters? How high is its measurement accuracy?"

They had visited large research institutions and seen similar high-precision equipment, but they hadn't acted so naive back then.

The situation is different now.

They used to just look and listen, because even the most advanced equipment was irrelevant to them.

Now that we have money, we can consider purchasing some high-end equipment to improve the laboratory's research environment.

The two asked several times.

Peng Jinquan felt like he was becoming a salesman, and sometimes he would even look at the equipment manual to check the parameters.

Zhang Minghao didn't ask about the equipment; he asked about research issues related to high-temperature superconductivity, just like the day before yesterday.

One advantage of visiting a laboratory is that you can clearly see how the research is conducted, what equipment is used to measure what data, and how the analysis is performed.

The entire process can be understood clearly.

After visiting the laboratory, Zhang Minghao felt that he had a deeper understanding of the research materials.

The group continued walking.

Peng Jinquan continued talking, but when he felt a little tired, he simply pulled someone over from behind.

"This is Professor Zou Jianyong."

"Professor Zou is outstanding. He is not even forty years old and was promoted to researcher last year."

After Peng Jinquan finished his introduction, he added, "Starting this year, Professor Zou has been leading projects on his own."

In large research institutions, being promoted to researcher before the age of forty is already considered very outstanding.

Zou Jianyong greeted the group with a smile.

Zhang Minghao found the name Zou Jianyong somewhat familiar and asked curiously, "Professor Zou, do you know Du Wei?"

"Du Wei?"

Zou Jianyong was taken aback, then immediately said, "I know Du Wei, he went to your Jiangzhou University!"

"Right in our lab."

Zhang Minghao laughed and said, "I recognized your name just now. Du Wei mentioned it to me."

As Zou Jianyong walked, he said, "Du Wei is indeed very outstanding. I worked with him before. He is very smart and eager to learn. It's just a pity that it's too difficult for postdoctoral fellows to stay on."

He shook his head as he spoke.

The two exchanged a few words with Du Wei, and their relationship immediately became closer.

While discussing research, En chatted casually with Zhang Minghao, also mentioning the difficulties in researching high-temperature superconductivity.

"I started leading a project this year, but it's very difficult to get project applications. Most of the research still relies on funding from the research center."

"Or, the research center's big project might assign me some work."

Zou Jianyong shook his head as he spoke.

Peng Jinquan, who was a little behind, added, "It's mainly in the field of high-temperature superconductivity, where there hasn't been much progress for a long time."

“In this field, a lot of money has been invested, but very few research and development results have been achieved, so the higher authorities are becoming increasingly strict in their review of projects.”

After he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked Zhang Minghao, "Isn't your research looking for a team to collaborate with on superconductivity? I think Zou Jianyong is a good fit."

Zou Jianyong was stunned.

Zhang Minghao thought about it seriously and felt that it was indeed possible. The reason why he wanted to collaborate with a team in the field of high-temperature superconductivity was because the research required some experiments related to superconductivity.

In addition, some high-temperature superconductivity fields also require precise measurements down to the particle level.

These data can help refine the framework relating the Zhang phenomenon to the high-temperature superconductivity mechanism.

Some experiments cannot be performed in the applied electromagnetics laboratory at the moment.

Some experiments are more specialized and require teams specializing in high-temperature superconductivity to conduct.

He approached Peng Jinquan to say that this was the purpose of the cooperation, but Peng Jinquan's team was too powerful, and it was unlikely that he would agree to cooperate with them.

While cooperation is said to be mutual, there is also the issue of research leadership.

One party takes the lead, while the other party cooperates in conducting research.

Only such cooperation can last.

If we only engage in equal cooperation, conflicts will arise in the research, and even disputes may arise over funding expenditures, ultimately leading to problems in the division of results.

Zou Jianyong would be a perfect fit.

He has definitely improved his research skills. He has worked with Du Wei, who spoke highly of him, so his level of expertise must be quite high.

In addition, Zou Jianyong led only a small team, yet he was able to work using the experimental environment of the Condensed Matter Physics Research Center.

Zhang Minghao thought it was a good fit, but he didn't express his opinion directly. Instead, he seemed to need to think it over carefully.

Peng Jinquan kept recommending Zou Jianyong, talking about Zou Jianyong's abilities, past performance, and introducing the team's strength, etc.

He later added, "If you want to collaborate, the research center can also provide subsidies for experimental funding."

"Professor Zou Jianyong is also a key talent cultivated by the research center."

"Fine!"

Zhang Minghao reluctantly agreed, "We can try cooperating."

"Funding is easy to arrange, but the research itself is quite challenging."

"no problem!"

Peng Jinquan patted his chest and vouched for it, saying, "Scientific research is about taking on challenges. What's the point if there are no challenges?"

……

Zhang Minghao and his two companions visited the laboratory and discussed cooperation with Peng Jinquan and Zou Jianyong.

The two parties simply signed an agreement, and the matter was settled.

Seeing that it was almost time, they left the research center without disturbing them any further.

Peng Jinquan and Zou Jianyong saw them off to the gate. After the car disappeared from sight, Zou Jianyong asked, somewhat puzzled, "Director Peng, how did this cooperation end up being agreed upon..."

He felt a little confused.

The other three people came to visit the laboratory, and after a brief discussion, they reached a project cooperation agreement?
What exactly is this research, and is it promising?

He knows nothing.

Peng Jinquan smiled and asked, "Think about who you're collaborating with?"

"The Zhang phenomenon and multilayer tinene 100% conductive material at room temperature are all achievements of the Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory of Jiangzhou University."

"And there's Zhang Minghao, that's Zhang Minghao, a genius doctoral student!"

"An academic star!"

"What do you care about prospects? What do you need to consider?" Peng Jinquan's rhetorical question was powerful, as if he were stating a fact.

Actually, that's not what he really thought.

prospect?

If it has great potential, he would have partnered with it himself. Why would he push it to Zou Jianyong?

He didn't understand why Zhang Minghao wanted to cooperate before, but now he does. There's a rumor circulating at the meeting that Zhang Minghao believes there's a connection between the theoretical mechanism of the Zhang phenomenon and high-temperature superconductivity.

How could the two possibly be related?

The other party's research is definitely on this topic, which is why they sought to collaborate with a team that conducts research on high-temperature superconductivity.

Of course, he couldn't say that.

Peng Jinquan walked back, saying, "Jianyong, think about it. This year, you led a team to do projects, and you used the research center's funding. The funding is limited, so you can't do a lot of research."

“Zhang Minghao’s team is not short of funding; the National Natural Science Foundation of China just gave them ten million yuan.”

"If you cooperate, and he tells you what to do, that's better than having no experiments at all, right?"

After careful consideration, Zou Jianyong realized that this made sense.

Collaboration allows for experiments, and experiments can lead to discoveries. This is much better than insufficient funding and meager subsidies for team members.

Moreover, the other party is Zhang Minghao, a genius doctoral student who has done so much great research.

What if this is also a major research project?
Peng Jinquan noticed Zou Jianyong's expression and was very satisfied.

Zou Jianyong's team was short of funding and didn't know what research to do. Collaborating with Zhang Minghao's team could serve as a temporary solution, even in the worst-case scenario.

More importantly, there is no harm in Zhang Minghao collaborating with Zou Jianyong.

He just talked and earned two favors for free; Zhang Minghao and Zou Jianyong both wanted to thank him.

They made a killing!
……

Zhang Minghao and his two companions returned to Jiangzhou City.

After getting off the plane, Zhu Bingkun received a phone call. After getting into a taxi, he said mysteriously, "There's a big surprise waiting for us when we get back!"

"What surprise?"

Zhang Minghao asked, and Zhu Bingkun just said he would know when he got back.

Xue Kun began to speculate, "Could it be that our research won an award? A national science and technology award?"

Zhu Bingkun shook his head directly, "The science and technology conference won't be held until after June, there are still six months, it's a bit too early to talk about it now."

"Did the school allocate funds to the lab again?" Zhang Minghao guessed.

“I would like that, but the school is not a charitable foundation, how can it always allocate funds to us?”

Xue Kun and Zhang Minghao made consecutive guesses, but Zhu Bingkun refuted them one by one.

In the end, I simply stopped guessing altogether.

The three of them drove all the way to the Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory, and once they got off the car, they knew what the surprise was.

Although it was already after get off work hours, there were still quite a few people gathered in the lobby on the first floor of the laboratory.

Vice Principal Liu Zhiming arrived, bringing with him a research fellow appointment letter. His first words to Zhang Minghao were, "Congratulations, Zhang Minghao, you are now a research fellow."

Before Zhang Minghao could react, he immediately announced, "The school has submitted the special application to the higher authorities, and it has been approved."

"Zhang Minghao will enjoy the same treatment as a researcher during his doctoral studies, and will become a full-fledged researcher after graduation!"

The others immediately burst into applause.

This is also part of the school's talent retention strategy, demonstrating their high regard for Zhang Minghao.

The application was submitted by the laboratory and signed by two academicians, Tan Yanming and Zhao Jianyang, as well as more than a dozen professors. The university sent the application to the higher authorities, who then approved it after a brief meeting.

Starting today, Zhang Minghao will enjoy the same treatment as other researchers.

For him personally, he is still a doctoral student, but he also receives the salary and benefits of a researcher, without any other restrictions.

During my doctoral studies, it was essentially an unrestrained internship period.

After graduating with a doctorate, I will be directly promoted to a full-time researcher with a formal establishment.

After Liu Zhiming made the announcement, he gave a contract to Zhang Minghao.

Zhang Minghao looked at it carefully and then signed his name on the contract.

Before signing his name, he was genuinely pleasantly surprised to be able to enjoy the benefits of a researcher during his doctoral studies, without any other contractual obligations.

Upon graduation, I became a full-fledged research fellow.

This treatment is already very good.

But after signing my name, I suddenly felt a sense of loss, as if I had lost my student status and suddenly entered a working state.

The simple identity of a doctoral student is gone.

That sense of loss couldn't be shared with anyone else, so all I could do was respond with a complicated smile.

Zhang Minghao signed the agreement and became a researcher in the lab, which is something to celebrate.

Zhu Bingkun quickly ordered a large cake, as if it were his birthday, with the words "May your career be smooth sailing" written on it, and even asked him to make a wish before cutting the cake.

The office was filled with laughter, and everyone was gathered around Zhang Minghao.

Zhu Bingkun asked Zhang Minghao, "Let's interview him. Now that you've become a researcher, how do you feel?"

Zhang Minghao hesitated for a moment and asked, "If I become a researcher ahead of schedule, will I no longer be considered a recent graduate when I graduate?"

"probably."

He shook his head as he spoke, "So, I'm wondering, if I never have the chance to be a fresh graduate, will I feel like an important part of my life is missing?"

"Cut~~~"

The crowd dispersed with a roar.

……

Zhang Minghao's feelings were indeed somewhat complicated; he needed time to adjust to the change in his identity.

Although he is still a doctoral student, he is also a researcher.

As a researcher, doing scientific research is of course very important. After a good night's rest, he arrived at the theoretical office the next day, full of energy.

Du Wei, Zhao Linwei, and Liu Lei were all present.

As soon as Zhang Minghao entered, he briefly explained his collaboration with Zou Jianyong's team.

The next step was then announced: "We have completed the underlying framework for the relationship between ZXZ and the high-temperature superconductivity mechanism."

"Next is to fill in the frame."

"There are two aspects: theory and experiment. You should focus on the theoretical direction and continue to build the theoretical connections."

"We don't expect perfection, but we need to make progress step by step!"

This is very important.

To build a theoretical framework connecting two different phenomena, it is necessary to continuously find commonalities in the underlying theories.

We now have a 'basic framework,' which means we have a fulcrum. However, the fulcrum is indeed far from perfect, and the connections feel somewhat forced and strained.

The reason for this is mainly because the high-temperature superconductivity mechanism is not perfect, and many explanations of the underlying mechanisms are even self-contradictory.

Their job is to identify the definite connections and build a new theoretical framework based on them.

This research focuses on high-temperature superconductivity and also on the theoretical mechanism of the Zhang phenomenon.

The two are closely related, and research is bidirectional.

In terms of experiments, the experimental study of the Zhang phenomenon can promote the improvement of the high-temperature superconductivity mechanism, and vice versa.

"These two different experiments are strongly related in their underlying theoretical mechanisms, and they can be connected and mutually reinforcing..."

"We can find patterns through experiments, and perhaps even use those patterns to understand the ZXZ phenomenon while simultaneously studying high-temperature superconducting materials?"

(End of this chapter)