High-tech pioneers

Suitable measures

But though his background is in biomaterials and future technologies, Liu is nevertheless paying close attention to the university's liberal art disciplines like metropolis sociology, archaeology and cultural relics protection, and Shanghai-style art.

The reason for this is his belief that the holistic development of disciplines will be crucial to allowing the university to better aid Shanghai's evolution.

Moreover, research regarding the governance of megacities has shown that a mastery of all kinds of disciplines is important.

"We need to combine sociology with technology like big data technology to effectively manage cities. Through the research of data, we can find suitable measures to manage the society," he says.

He adds that this need to integrate science and arts, which is already reflected in the university's curriculum.