NIO VP Ren Shaoqing Joins USTC, Will Continue His Role at NIO

NIO VP and Chief Autonomous Driving Scientist Ren Shaoqing will join USTC to lead a new AI lab focused on long-term general AI research, while retaining his role at NIO.

On September 20, Ren Shaoqing, NIO’s Vice President and Chief Autonomous Driving Scientist, announced that he has joined USTC to spearhead the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The lab will focus on mid- to long-term general AI research and is recruiting globally for professors, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and Ph.D. students.

Ren noted on social media: “My work at NIO remains unchanged. With the support of President Chang, President Pan, and William Li, we are launching some long-term research initiatives at the university.”

Ren is a well-known figure in China’s autonomous driving community. He co-founded the autonomous driving company Momenta and helped scale it into a leading industry player within three years. Since joining NIO in August 2020, he has been responsible for autonomous driving technology development, leading the NIO Autonomous Driving (NAD) system from R&D to mass production, enabling intelligent driving features across highway, urban, and parking scenarios.

NIO and USTC are no strangers. Back in May 2021, the two sides signed a strategic cooperation agreement and set up the “USTC–NIO Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Electric Vehicles,” working together on technology, talent development, and research exchange.

The University of Science and Technology of China is one of the country’s top science and engineering universities, renowned for its strengths in mathematics, computer science, and AI research, with global influence in quantum information, mathematics, and physics. The new AI lab will focus on long-horizon AI research, exploring breakthroughs in general AI applications for mobility and transportation while attracting top talent worldwide.

The lab has opened global recruitment for professors, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. students, as well as engineers and researchers in intelligent driving.

For NIO, Ren’s work at USTC is expected to strengthen its long-term investment in autonomous driving research, bringing cutting-edge academic resources back into the industry and further supporting the development and iteration of NAD.