On the morning of June 22, 2026, the 2026 SDG Global Summer School on “Human Cognition and Health” was successfully inaugurated in Lecture Hall 537, Building 3, Hainayuan, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University.
Present at the opening ceremony were Professor Chen Hui (Head of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University), Party Secretary Wu Zigui, Researcher Pan Yafeng, Researcher You Yuqi, as well as Professor Benjamin Becker from the University of Hong Kong and Professor Judith Wylie from Queen’s University Belfast. The ceremony was chaired by Professor Chen Hui. Distinguished scholars and participating students from leading universities worldwide—including Zhejiang University, Peking University, the University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, the University of Macau, Queen’s University Belfast, University College London, and the University of Pennsylvania—jointly attended the event.
At the outset of the ceremony, Professor Chen Hui, on behalf of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, extended a warm welcome to the visiting experts, professors, and students from both domestic and international institutions. He noted that this Summer School, themed “Human Cognition and Health,” is designed to provide an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural academic exchange platform for early-career researchers and students, enabling participants to systematically acquire cutting-edge knowledge while broadening their international perspectives and deepening their understanding of issues pertaining to human cognition and health.
Party Secretary Wu Zigui delivered an address at the opening ceremony. He briefly reviewed the developmental history of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Zhejiang University, outlined the Department's progress in talent cultivation, scientific research, and international cooperation, and articulated the mission and vision of the SDG Global Summer School. He expressed the hope that this Summer School would serve as an important forum for students from diverse cultural backgrounds and different academic training paths to interact and inspire one another, collectively exploring future directions for sustainable development through intellectual exchange and collaborative learning.
Immediately following the opening ceremony, Professor Benjamin Becker delivered the first lecture of the Summer School, titled “Human Emotion: From Basic Models to Mental Health.” The lecture centered on core issues in affective science, introducing the mechanisms of emotion generation, expression, and regulation, and elucidating the critical role of emotion in human mental health. Professor Becker further integrated cutting-edge methodologies—including neuroimaging, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), computational modeling, brain stimulation, and neurofeedback—to discuss the relationship between emotional dysregulation and psychiatric disorders, as well as the implications of understanding the neural mechanisms of emotion for the identification and intervention of mental disorders. The lecture, combining theoretical depth with applied value, stimulated considerable reflection and discussion among the attending faculty and students.
The Summer School will run for two weeks, during which multiple domestic and international scholars and experts will deliver a series of lectures and academic exchange activities on topics including human cognition, mental health, brain sciences, and sustainable development. Interested students are cordially invited to continue following and actively participating in the programme, jointly exploring frontier issues in human cognition and health research.
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Reported by Gao Yuyan and Zhang Xiaojing
Edited by Zhou Wei
Reviewed by Pan Yafeng
Final Approval by Chen Miaofeng
