Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 1 October 2022, Professor Tongqian Zou from China began working as Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Samarkand.

Professor Tongqian Zou served as Advisor to the President of Beijing University of International Studies, Chief Expert of the National Social Science Foundation, Dean of the Chinese Academy of Culture and Tourism. In particular, from 2006 to 2013. He served as Dean of the Department of Tourism Management at Peking International Studies University. From 2013 to the present, he has been working as an adviser to the president of Peking University of International Studies. In 2019-2020 worked as an adviser to the rector of the International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage "Silk Road", in October 2020 he was awarded the badge "Turizm fidoyis".

Professor Tongqian Zou was recommended for this position by the President of Beijing International Research University Ji Jinbiao.

It should be noted that Professor Tongqian Zou, as Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, will be responsible for the following areas at the University:

1) further improvement of the quality of research work;

2) organization of educational and scientific conferences, management of the work of the scientific and technical council of the university, generalization of advanced scientific and methodological experience;

3) to carry out general management of the process of preparation and publication by the staff of the University of scientific papers, including journals and collections of scientific journals, as well as replenishment of the library fund with scientific and periodicals;

4) managing and facilitating the processes of searching, selecting and working with talented youth, managing the process of preparing laureates of prestigious scholarships from among students and research trainees;

5) preparation of proposals for the selection of personnel on a competitive basis, the recruitment of doctoral students, independent researchers and masters, as well as managing the development and implementation of plans for the improvement of the teaching staff;

6) implementation of constant cooperation in the scientific direction with higher educational institutions, ensuring the active participation of the teaching staff in conferences and seminars.

Also, since 2021, Dr. Raymond Josef Hoffmann, invited from the USA, has been working at the University as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs. In 1982, Dr. Hoffmann received his PhD from the University of Oxford. In addition, he has degrees and work experience from Florida State University, Harvard University, and the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Currently, the Vice-Rector is contributing to the introduction of modern curricula and the inclusion of the International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage "Silk Road" among the universities of international level.

The Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage was founded on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan as part of the Summit of the Heads of State of the SCO Member States, which was held in June 2018 in Qingdao (PRC). In order to train professional personnel in the field of international tourism in Uzbekistan, the University attracted more than 10 foreign professors and teachers who worked in foreign higher educational institutions (USA, China, India, France, Japan, Australia, Turkey), occupying high positions in the field of tourism and cultural heritage.