Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHB) formulated its personnel developing strategy in terms of its unique study in hydrobiology and favorable geographic location in Central China. Evident achievements have been made in both the recruitment and cultivation of talents.    

The institute reduces the frequency of talents’ performance evaluation and creates a relatively flexible academic environment so as to meet the S&T talents development. By constructing supporting platforms, cooperating with international research institutions and local enterprises, the institute supports its faculty to make breakthroughs at the fundamental research level and gain social and economic benefits at the applied study level.    

In 2013, IHB Prof. GUI Jianfang was elected as the academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) due to his remarkable achievements in fish genetics and breeding. He thus becomes the 10^th CAS academician in IHB’s history. Several middle aged scientists gained recognition from the international peers in their respective areas and have made several major breakthroughs, some of which have been widely promoted.    

In the cultivation of young scientists, the institute establishes the incubation mechanisms of talents. On the one hand, the PIs pass on their research experiences to the young scientists; on the other hand, the institute supports independent research projects and overseas advanced studies programs with the young scientist foundation allocated by the institute. Several young scientists have made outstanding achievements and published their findings in the top journals of their fields. Some of them are even qualified to serve as PI. From 2012, IHB Prof. HU Wei won the support of the National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar; Profs. SUN Yonghua and CHEN Jun won the support of the Excellent Young Scientist Foundation of NSFC.   

The institute also recruits high-level overseas talents. The pattern is that the institute first cooperates with the talent who lives abroad and after a period of time when certain achievements have been made then it will consider the recruitment of the talent. The recruitment of talents is for the assurance of the implementation of the institute’s “One-Three-Five” developing plan. In 2014, IHB recruited Prof. ZHANG Chengcai who worked at Aix-Marseille University in France.

IHB adapts the traditional talents recruitment pattern that emphasizes the talent himself to a pattern that emphasizes strong cooperation among the talent, the institute and a third party institution. In 2013, IHB reached an agreement on a talent cooperation program with the State Development & Investment Corporation. Both sides jointly established the Center for Microalgal Biotechnology & Biofuels. HU Qiang who worked at Arizona State University was employed as Professor of IHB and is now serving as the director of the Center for Microalgal Biotechnology & Biofuels.