The European Study Center of Tongji University was formally established in October 2009. The current director is Dr. Emilie Ye, Yang, professor of political science and international relations. She is the Vice President of Shanghai Association of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies, board member of Shanghai Association of International Relations and Shanghai Institute of European Studies. Her main research fields are: Central and East European Studies, the EU Governance Studies, International Public Affairs, and etc.
The main research interests of ESCTU include: The EU Institutions & Governance Studies; the EU Common Foreign & Security Policies, Central & East European Studies; China-Europe Relationship; US and Europe Relationship. The main tasks of ESCTU are: opens a series of courses on European Studies for the graduated and under-graduated students, undertakes various types of academic activities on European issues. The ESCTU is also a coordinator of all the institutes on European Studies of Tongji University on academic cooperation with the institutes from abroad.
In the Center, there are some full-time researchers: Dr.Professor. Ye, Ynag, Dr. Hong-Bo Shen (associate Professor) , Dr. Li-Lei, Song, Dr. Peng-Bu, Luo, Dr. Rui Lv, Dr. Yi-Cheng Jiang, and etc. The ESCTU has hired Dr. Xue-Wu, Gu, a tenured professor at University of Bonn, Germany, Professor Yi-Kang WU, the former President of Shanghai Institute of Europe Studies and other well-known experts in European Studies as part-time researchers.