On December 5, NYU Shanghai’s Volatility Institute (VINS) hosted its 10th annual conference, bringing together around 200 attendees to examine the theme “Financial Implications of Geopolitical Risks in a New Era.” The day-long event convened scholars, policymakers, and industry practitioners to discuss how geopolitical risk is measured, priced, and managed, and what new tools and evidence can help institutions respond more effectively. 

• Congratulations to Professor of Physics and Mathematics Jun Zhang, who has been awarded the 2025 Baosteel Outstanding Teacher Award. The Baosteel Education Award recognizes excellence in teaching and research, with 283 educators nationwide receiving the award this year. 

• Congratulations to the Lab for Innovative and Sustainable Transportation Systems (LISTS), whose team of PhD students and research assistants under the direction of Assistant Professor of Engineering Chen Zhibin won First Prize at the 2025 X-GAME Shanghai Intelligent New Energy Vehicle Big Data Competition, standing out among nearly 900 participants. This marks the second consecutive year that our students have received this top honor.

• Congratulations to Brandon Mao ’28, the winner of the TextbookForward Logo Contest organized by the Library and Student Affairs. The new logo will serve as the visual identity of TextbookForward, an initiative promoting textbook affordability, sustainability, and resource sharing across campus. Unveiled at a ceremony on December 1, the winning design was celebrated for its creativity and artistic vision, reflecting the project’s innovative and community-driven spirit. Thanks to all the participants and voters.

• Fudan University Computer Science Professor and head of Fudan’s NLP Lab Huang Xuanjing spoke on Monday as the second speaker in CSCDE’s Distinguished Women in Computer Science lecture series. Huang spoke on her research on natural language processing and large language models.

A new Alumni Lounge will be opened at the heart of the campus for alumni from NYU Shanghai, NYU, and NYU Abu Dhabi. Created to foster connection and community, the lounge will serve as a home for alumni engagement and a bridge between alumni, students, and the university. Provost Bei Wu will deliver a welcome address at the opening of the lounge on Sunday, December 21 from 2 to 4 pm. This event is open to NYU Shanghai alumni and their guests (one per alumni). Refreshments will be served. If you have questions about this event, please email shanghai.alumni-shanghai@nyu.edu.

“When winter comes and everything seems dead, we think nature sleeps — but she is working like mad. She has simply shut herself in and pulled the shutters down. Behind them, she is unpacking new goods, filling the shelves until they groan under the load.”

— Associate Professor of Contemporary Global Media Anna Greenspan quoting from Karel Čapek’s The Gardener’s Year during her talk on paradise gardens and artificial creation

It’s that time of year again, when every day there’s a new show. This year’s End of Semester shows didn’t disappoint. From a capella to orchestra, here’s a look at what students have achieved this semester.

• Decoding China’s Elderly Care

NYU Shanghai Provost and Distinguished Global Professor of Public Health Bei Wu spoke with the Financial Times Chinese edition about the challenges China faces as it rapidly ages, and how a coordinated support system -- connecting families, communities, and healthcare -- can help address them.

• Robert Engle Returns to NYU Shanghai

Nobel Prize laureate and NYU Professor of Finance Robert Engle returned to NYU Shanghai last week for the annual Volatility Institute Conference and spoke to Wenhui Daily on how climate change risks affect asset pricing.