A record number of NYU Shanghai students have been awarded prestigious Erasmus Mundus Scholarships this year. Bayaraa Gankhulug ’26, Sophia Wan Zhiyan ’26, Yang Luyi ’26, Annie Qu ’26, and alum Annika Wen Huiwei ’25 have all been selected for the highly competitive graduate program spanning Europe and the globe.

• Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025-2026 NYU Shanghai Teaching Excellence Award, Senior Language Lecturer of Chinese Xia Ku, Professor of Practice in Computer Science Xu Lihua, and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Huang Kangning, who exemplify NYU Shanghai's commitment to teaching. 

• Congratulations to chemistry PhD student Zheng Lei and undergraduate students Dai Yizhe ’27 and Zhou Qisheng ’28 for winning first place overall in the DREAM Target 2035 Drug Discovery Challenge, an international competition focused on AI-driven small-molecule drug discovery. The team used an ensemble learning-based, ligand-centered approach and ranked first across the competition’s combined stages, with guidance from Professors John Zhang and Sun Zhaoxi. Following this achievement, the team delivered a 20-minute oral presentation at the MAINFRAME Symposium on AI-Driven Small-Molecule Drug Discovery, held in Barcelona.

• Congratulations to Clinical Associate Professor of Literature Anna Kendrick who has been named a Fulbright US Scholar for 2026-2027 for Spain. 

• Congratulations to Associate Professor of Practice in Political Science Ivan Rasmussen, who has been accepted into the fourth cohort of the Penn Project on the Future of US-China Relations. 
 

NYU Shanghai ended the semester on a high note with a packed schedule of performances, concerts, and exhibitions. Pictured (clockwise from top left): A Cappella Concert, Dance Show, Visual Arts Exhibition The Drawings My Dog Didn’t Eat, and Ensemble End-of-Semester Concert.

• In Conversation with Chen Yuxin: Is AI Reducing Brand Premium?

Dean of Business Chen Yuxin spoke to The Economic Observer on how brands should find new ways to create and defend premium value, as AI makes products easier to compare and imitate.