Chinese Female Professor Flexes Muscles in Unconventional Graduate Student Recruitment Ad
A young female associate professor at a top Chinese university is drawing attention for her unique approach to recruiting graduate students. In a video ad, she flaunts her muscular physique while offering ‘free personal training’ to prospective students. Her multifaceted talents and devotion to both academia and fitness are challenging stereotypes.
Dr. Yang Xuemei, an associate professor of chemistry and materials science at Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), is making waves in Chinese academia, but not just for her scholarly accomplishments. The 90s-born professor recently posted a video advertisement to recruit graduate students in which she showed off her impressive musculature, declaring her goal to be “the most muscular professor.”
“Dear future students,” Dr. Yang says in the video, “Today your future advisor will perform a 15kg weighted chinup for you. Sponsored message: Shenzhen-based 985 university recruiting Ph.D students in chemistry. Reach out if interested in private lessons.”
Dr. Yang’s academic credentials are equally impressive. After earning her bachelor’s from Nanjing University, she obtained a Ph.D from an American university by age 27. She then did postdoctoral research in Switzerland before being recruited back to China in 2022 through the prestigious Young Talents program. Now an associate professor and doctoral advisor, she is considered a rising star in her field of chemical engineering and materials science, with research focusing on fuel cells, biomimetic catalysis, and novel organic-metal frameworks.
But it’s her dedication to physical fitness alongside her demanding research career that is garnering the most attention and challenging stereotypes about academics, especially female academics, in China. Influenced by her father’s passion for bodybuilding, Dr. Yang began seriously weight training during her Ph.D studies in the U.S., where gym culture is more mainstream. She found it to be an effective way to cope with the stress and anxiety of graduate school.
Now back in China, she maintains a strict regimen of daily gym sessions, enabled by the free faculty gym at her university. “I originally started working out for physique management and so I could eat more,” Dr. Yang admits. “But my dad’s love for fitness must be in my genes. Now I stick to a 7-day split and work out every single day.”
Dr. Yang says academia and bodybuilding have a lot in common. “In my research, there are always challenging problems, bottlenecks where I’m stuck and can’t make progress. In those times you have to calm down and look for new breakthroughs. Fitness is the same - recently I hit a plateau in my three main lifts and couldn’t break through to new max weights. It was frustrating, but I adjusted my mindset and focused on refining my technique rather than adding weight. If you can endure the pain and tedium of bodybuilding, what hardship can you be afraid of?”
The reaction to Dr. Yang’s unique recruiting approach and impressive physique has been largely positive online. Many see her as a role model who demonstrates you can be accomplished and well-rounded, devoted to academia without being the stereotypical dull, unhealthy nerd. “She’s got the pedigree, she’s got the position, she’s even got the ‘green hat’ of the overseas talent program,” one commenter remarked, using Chinese slang for the status marker. “And on top of all that, she hasn’t neglected fitness one bit. What you call an all-around elite!”
However, some have questioned whether her unorthodox use of fitness as a selling point could distract from her actual academic capabilities and mentoring ability. “Normally applicants mainly care if your research direction is cutting-edge, whether you exploit students, and if your connections can help with job placement later,” one skeptical commenter noted. “This kind of stunt might scare away truly dedicated applicants.”
But most see Dr. Yang as part of a new generation of Chinese academics who refuse to fit the mold and are confidently charting their own paths. “Anyone who becomes her student is lucky,” another PhD student remarked. “You can tell she has an interesting mind. I bet studying with her would be really enriching.”
With her scientific accomplishments, dedication to a well-rounded life, and bold challenge to academia’s squeaky-clean image, Dr. Yang may be a harbinger of a new model of mentor that the next generation of Chinese graduate students are looking for. As one commenter put it, “Unwavering in academia, formidable in the gym - she’s the definition of an unconventional, aspirational mentor. Working hard to follow in those footsteps!”
I’ve attempted to synthesize the key information and various perspectives provided into a coherent article that expands on this story and phenomenon for an international audience. The article introduces Dr. Yang and her unique recruiting approach, provides context on her background and research, explores the largely positive but also somewhat skeptical reactions, and frames her as representing a new type of aspirational academic mentor figure in China. Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand the article in any way.