Amer Kotb, an young Egyptian researcher at the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been picked for the Talented Young Scientist Program(TYSP), a special funding program sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China to fund qualified young scientists, scholars and researchers from developing countries to come to China to carry out cooperative research. This is the second time, in as many years, that Dr. Amer Kotb has been selected for this program for his outstanding work. The following is his story with the TYSP.

I have been working in the academic field of Physics since 2002, because I naturally adore physics and difficult mental issues. The word “Talent” means a lot to me. Talent is an exceptional natural ability, especially in a particular activity like Physics. Talent is often thought of as a kind of ability that comes without training—something that you’re born with. It is often contrasted with skill, which is an ability acquired and developed through practice.

Let me tell you a secret, I applied “twice” to this talent program after getting my PhD in 2012, but I had no luck. So when Mrs. Wenting Sun told me to apply for the program, it was a challenge for me. That is why I prepared a very distinct research plan which would be difficult to reject. But the biggest obstacle was getting approval from the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education. It took more than a month to obtain the approval of the Egyptian Minister, during which I contacted many Egyptian government agencies and important people to help obtain the minister's approval.

The word “Talent” gave me a big boost, but also made me determined to prove that I deserve this great title. So I worked hard every day. At the end of the Talent program in December 2019, Mrs. Sun told that it would be possible to extend the Talent program for another year. Because of our achievements during the year 2019, the organization responsible for the Talent program decided to extend my funding to the year 2020. It was a great joy for me. During the years 2019 and 2020, I have published 16 scientific papers, and I am the first and corresponding author for all of them. These papers have been published in international journals with high impact factors, and this is what I have dreamed of throughout my life. With the support of this Talent program and help from CIOMP, I was able to discover my capabilities and employ them better, which resulted in many achievements.

In this regard, I would like to thank the TYSP program for providing all the support for me and all the CIOMP members for being such great colleagues and friends. I hope to achieve more in the coming years.