37-year-old researcher dies of serious illness nearly 1 year after being awarded the title of professor

Liu Haolin, a professor at Xiangtan University in Hunan Province, China, died in a hospital in Hunan Province last Saturday, according to an obituary posted online. A memorial service was held the following day in his hometown of Ningxiang.

Xiangtan University's official website also posted an obituary and converted his portrait to black and white in remembrance.

Professor Liu Haolin fell ill last Friday evening after finishing his class at the school. Photo: *SCMP*

Colleagues say Professor Liu specializes in edge intelligence - technology that allows devices to process and analyze data in real time, reducing their dependence on cloud computing. He also focuses on computing networks, smart networks and data security - all key areas in the current AI era.

One of his students shared on social media: “He just taught us our last class on Linux yesterday afternoon. I admire him so much - he is so dedicated and patient. Hearing the news today is shocking.”

Another colleague said the bad news came “so suddenly”. According to him, Professor Liu is believed to have suffered from myocarditis, which he developed when he returned home on Friday evening after teaching, and died in hospital the following morning.

“He is an excellent person and works extremely hard,” said a colleague.

Born in Ningxiang, Liu Haolin studied at Sichuan University (Chengdu) from 2006 and defended his doctoral thesis in 2015. After graduating, he worked at the Department of Information Engineering (later renamed the Department of Computer Science ) of Xiangtan University, and was promoted to professor just about a year ago.

He has been selected for many provincial talent development programs and was ranked “excellent” in last year's lecturer evaluation.

Professor Liu Haolin is a lecturer at Xiangtan University in Hunan province. Photo: *SCMP*

During his career, Professor Liu Haolin has presided over 7 research projects, including projects under the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) - the largest basic research funding fund in the country; published more than 20 scientific papers and owned more than 10 patents.

A person claiming to be Professor Liu's cousin shared on social media that he once wished to work in the capital of Hunan province so that his two young children could have better educational opportunities.

“Our whole family is deeply saddened. He was outstanding from a young age and was the pride of the family,” the person wrote.

The passing of Professor Liu Haolin is one of several heartbreaking recent cases involving young scientists at China’s top universities, sparking debate about a cutthroat talent system where competitive pressures can push young scholars to their limits, according to the South China Morning Post.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nha-nghien-cuu-37-tuoi-qua-doi-vi-bao-benh-sau-gan-1-nam-duoc-phong-ham-giao-su-2457125.html