On April 16, 2026, the signing ceremony for the launch of Cog—an international academic journal initiated by the School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and co-published with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)—was successfully held at the General Administration Building on SJTU’s Xuhui Campus. The ceremony was attended by a host of guests, including Chu Xiaoying, Director of International and Academic Publishing Partnerships and Head of the AAAS Asia Office; Liu Shoupeng, Deputy Director of External Relations and Strategic Partnership Development at AAAS; Yang Jun, Director of Public Welfare Programs at the Beijing Venustech Charity Foundation; Hu Weiwei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC SJTU Committee; Fu Xiaolan, Vice Chair of the University Council and Dean of the School of Psychology; Wu Wenfeng, Director of the Office of Humanities and Social Sciences Development and Director of the Smart Humanities and Social Sciences Center; Hu Wei, Director of the Office of Planning and Development and Secretary-General of the University Academic Committee; Wang Yushen, Director of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and Secretary-General of the SJTU Education Development Foundation; Tan Yi, Party Branch Secretary and Director of the University Journal Center; Yuan Tifei, Executive Dean of the School of Psychology; and Li Chunbo, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Mental Health Center. Also present were representatives from relevant university functional departments and faculty members of the School of Psychology. The ceremony was presided over by Wang Xifang, Party Secretary of the School of Psychology.
Hu Weiwei first delivered remarks on behalf of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She pointed out that Cog focuses on frontier interdisciplinary domains encompassing psychology, mental health, brain science and outstanding traditional Chinese culture, with interdisciplinary integration as its core hallmark. The journal’s launch marks a vital practical move for the University to further implement its Grand Health strategy and accelerate progress toward building a world-class university. It will also serve as a key driver in boosting the international influence, academic discourse and disciplinary leadership of SJTU’s psychological disciplines. Hu expressed her hope that Cog will fully draw on the University’s distinctive disciplinary strengths and leverage global high-quality resources to build a world-class academic exchange platform, contributing SJTU’s wisdom and Chinese insights to the global advancement of cognitive science.
Bill Moran, Publisher of the Science journal family, delivered a video address to congratulate Cog on its official launch. He extended his warm regards for the journal’s debut and expressed sincere delight at the collaborative partnership with the School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in launching this new academic publication. He remarked that Cog emerges in response to prevailing global academic trends, focusing on the interdisciplinary integration of psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, marking a well-timed and pivotal launch. Moran further expressed his expectation that both sides will deepen ongoing collaboration, jointly build Cog into a world-class journal with prominent international influence and academic leadership, and foster more high-quality, landmark academic outcomes.
Yuan Tifei gave a comprehensive introduction to Cog, outlining its background, positioning, disciplinary foundations, team development and future roadmap. He stated that leveraging its disciplinary strengths and unique educational features, the School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, took the initiative to launch the journal after thorough preparation. Working alongside the University Journal Center and AAAS, the school brought Cog to fruition. Under the guiding principle of “Chinese leadership, international empowerment, and strong partnership”, the collaboration seeks to develop Cog into a globally preeminent academic platform for interdisciplinary brain and cognitive science research.
Subsequently, Chu Xiaoying and Yuan Tifei, representing AAAS and SJTU respectively, signed the agreement to launch Cog, marking the official inauguration of this international academic journal. Under the agreement, the two parties will forge close collaboration and draw on their respective strengths to jointly oversee the journal’s editorial and publishing operations, academic development and global outreach. They will continue to bring together leading scholars and high-quality research findings worldwide, steadily elevate the journal’s international influence, and build Cog into a distinctive, world-class academic journal.
Yang Jun and Wang Yushen, representing the Venustech Charity Foundation and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education Development Foundation respectively, signed a charitable donation agreement on-site. Hu Weiwei presented a donation certificate and a commemorative plaque to Yang Jun, extending sincere gratitude to the Qiming Xingchen Charity Foundation for its robust support for the launch of Cog and the disciplinary development of psychology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The participating parties conducted thorough deliberations on core operational matters, including the journal’s strategic positioning, long-term development, global engagement, academic governance, and quality control framework. All participants affirmed a shared commitment to closer coordination and deeper substantive cooperation. Moving forward, both sides will drive the journal’s high-standard growth, reinforce scholarly advancement aligned with the Healthy China Initiative, and further enrich global academic dialogue and collaboration.
On behalf of the School of Psychology and the Institute of Chinese Cultural Psychology of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fu Xiaolan extended sincere gratitude to the University, partner institutions, AAAS, and the Venustech Charity Foundation for their enduring support for the journal initiative. She articulated three core strategic priorities governing the future development of Cog. First, the journal will solidify its foundational development through a quality-centric philosophy, advance digital transformation and open-access publishing mechanisms, and accelerate the global dissemination of scholarly outputs. Second, it will advance disciplinary frontiers by promoting interdisciplinary innovation and addressing major practical societal challenges, while cultivating original psychological theories that embody unique Chinese academic characteristics. Third, adhering to an open and inclusive developmental vision, the journal will leverage the signing of the cooperative agreement to deepen bilateral collaboration with AAAS in joint publishing operations, academic talent mobility, and research data sharing. These efforts aim to establish Cog as a pivotal platform for presenting cutting-edge scholarly innovations and facilitating academic exchanges between domestic and global research communities.
Chu Xiaoying noted that the long-standing collaborative partnership between AAAS and Shanghai Jiao Tong University lends exceptional significance to the launch of Cog, which coincides with the University’s 130th anniversary. She underscored AAAS’s consistent recognition of SJTU’s outstanding academic strengths, stating that the Association looks forward to building upon this platform to expand in-depth scholarly cooperation across multiple parties. The journal will serve as a core vehicle to advance scientific and technological progress and expand societal academic outreach. Through continued synergistic cooperation, both parties will cultivate Cog’s unique academic positioning and rigorous publishing standards, steering the journal toward sustained growth as a leading global academic publication.
As a distinctive interdisciplinary publication, Cog centers on the integration of experimental neuroscience, psychology, computational modelling, artificial intelligence analytics and brain-inspired technologies, striving to deepen our understanding of the brain, mind, cognition, emotion and behaviour. The journal seeks to establish an international research hub and nurture cross-disciplinary scholarship at the intersection of neural mechanisms, psychological processes, behavioural expression, cultural contexts and real-world applications. It aims to foster scholarly dialogue across experimental science, computational science, clinical medicine and theoretical inquiry, prioritising multilevel, interdisciplinary and translational research. Its scope covers neural circuits, cognition, emotion, behaviour, consciousness and mental health, while welcoming investigations into cultural patterns, human conduct and the broader advancement of cognitive science.
Looking ahead, the School of Psychology will keep pace with global research frontiers, develop robust platforms for substantive exchange and collaborative innovation between scholars in China and internationally, steadily elevate submission standards and the journal’s global academic standing, and refine its editorial governance framework and international engagement capacity, so as to propel Cog steadily into the ranks of preeminent world-class academic journals and foster innovative advances in global cognitive science and bring SJTU’s insights and commitment to bear in safeguarding human health and well-being.
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