French physicist and 2018 Nobel laureate Gérard Mourou has joined Peking University’s School of Physics as a chair professor, where he will play a critical role in establishing a new institute focused on advanced research and international collaborations. His appointment, announced on Monday, marks a significant addition to the university’s scientific community.

Mourou, 80, officially began his new role on October 12, spending the initial weeks meeting students and faculty at Peking University’s teaching and research facilities. The university’s announcement emphasized that Mourou’s expertise will be essential in the creation of the institute, which will cover a wide range of research areas, including laser physics, particle and nuclear physics, medical physics, and astrophysics.

Mourou, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 for his groundbreaking work on chirped pulse amplification, has been a leading figure in the application of ultra-fast lasers to fields like eye surgery and precision manufacturing. His career also includes long-term collaborations with Chinese institutions, and he has been an advocate for the country’s advancements in science and technology.

Notably, Mourou was instrumental in developing a laser-driven, multi-beam facility in collaboration with Peking University, École Polytechnique in Paris, and global technology company Thales. During a public event in Beijing after receiving the Nobel Prize, Mourou expressed admiration for China’s rapid progress in scientific research, noting, “The gap is really narrowing. I was amazed to see the progress. I don’t know how you can do better than that.”

His new role at Peking University is expected to further strengthen international partnerships and contribute to cutting-edge research in a variety of scientific disciplines.