From August 27 to September 3, a delegation led by Kang Chongqing, Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering (DEE) and Chinese Co-Director of the Tsinghua-University of Manchester Joint PhD Programme, Sun Kai, Deputy Head of DEE, and Associate Professor Zhang Ning, faculty representative of the Joint PhD Programme, visited London, Manchester and Glasgow in the UK, calling on academic organizations and universities including the headquarters of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Imperial College London, the University of Manchester and the University of Strathclyde to carry out academic exchanges and cooperation, discussions on the Joint PhD Programme and summer school teaching, advancing all-round cooperation with the UK.
On the morning of August 27, Kang Chongqing, Sun Kai and Zhang Ning, together with Goran Strbac, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University and Professor of Imperial College London, visited the IET headquarters in London. Bob Cryan, Honorary President of the IET, Toni Allen, Chief Participation and Growth Officer, and Christopher Knibb, Director of Governance and External Affairs, warmly received the delegation. Bob Cryan extended a warm welcome to the delegation and fondly recalled his previous visits to China and his experiences of cooperation and exchange with Tsinghua University. On behalf of the IET, Toni Allen systematically reviewed the outcomes of the cooperation between the two sides over the years, including the successful organization of multiple sessions of the Tsinghua-IET Electrical Engineering Academic Forum and Doctoral Forum, the co-hosting of the IET ACDC international conference, the joint development of academic journals and support for students’ overseas practice. The cooperation has also borne fruit: the IET’s influence in China and the services it provides to its broad membership have continued to improve, multiple Tsinghua faculty members and students have received IET awards and honors, and several Tsinghua faculty members have been elected IET Fellows. Kang Chongqing expressed sincere gratitude to the IET for its long-standing strong support for DEE in international exchanges and cooperation and talent cultivation, particularly noting that senior IET leaders represented by President Bob Cryan have frequently participated in joint activities of the two sides in recent years, enthusiastically guiding young students and making positive contributions to China-UK cooperation in the electrical energy field. He expressed his hope to take this visit as a new starting point to further refine and implement the academic partnership plan between the two sides and, building on Tsinghua University’s Global Strategy 2030, comprehensively elevate the level of cooperation between the two sides and jointly promote the development and progress of China and the UK in the power and energy field.
Group photo of both sides at the IET headquarters
On August 28, the delegation visited the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London and, together with the UK-side partners of the Tsinghua-Imperial Joint Research Centre for Smart Power and Energy Systems, Professor Goran Strbac and Professor Teng Fei, co-organized a China-UK symposium on frontier issues in power and energy. The symposium brought together numerous experts and scholars from leading universities, research institutions and industry across multiple countries to conduct in-depth discussions on the energy transition and sustainable development of China and the UK.
The symposium was opened with remarks by Tim Green, Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and Kang Chongqing. Goran Strbac, UK Director of the Joint Research Centre, and Sun Kai, Chinese Director, delivered a joint report introducing the latest cooperation progress and research advances of the Centre, fully demonstrating the fruitful achievements and collaborative innovation capacity of the two universities in the field of smart power and energy.
The symposium featured three sessions: invited presentations, reports on the research outcomes of the Centre, and industry presentations. Scholars from renowned universities including the University of Michigan, the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh delivered excellent academic presentations; young researchers from the two universities showcased their latest research results in power system intelligence, reflecting the solid achievements of the Joint Centre in cultivating young talents. Meanwhile, experts from industry organizations including China Southern Power Grid, National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and UK Power Networks (UKPN) shared engineering practice experience and challenges, further deepening the integration of industry, academia and research.
The symposium not only consolidated the solid foundation of the two universities in research cooperation and international exchange, but also injected new impetus into jointly addressing global energy challenges and promoting sustainable development in the future.
Tim Green delivers opening remarks
Kang Chongqing delivers opening remarks
Scholars and industry experts deliver invited and keynote presentations
On August 29, the DEE delegation visited the University of Manchester and carried out exchanges on the Tsinghua-University of Manchester Joint PhD Programme, with Kang Chongqing, Sun Kai and Zhang Ning participating in the visit. Professor Wang Zhongdong, UK Director of the Joint PhD Programme at the University of Manchester, Professor Jovica Milanovic, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and former Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Professor Peter Crossley of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and students in related fields joined the exchange activities.
At the exchange meeting, Zhang Ning and Sun Kai respectively introduced the overall profile of Tsinghua University and DEE and their international talent cultivation. Zhang Ning introduced Tsinghua’s disciplinary layout, talent cultivation system, foundation for international cooperation and related developments in interdisciplinary research on global frontier issues. Sun Kai highlighted DEE’s development history, research directions, faculty strength, research platforms and talent cultivation features, showcasing DEE’s research foundation and disciplinary strengths in new power systems and low-carbon energy transition. Faculty members and students of the University of Manchester, including Professor Wang Zhongdong, Professor Jovica Milanovic and Professor Peter Crossley, warmly welcomed the Tsinghua delegation and engaged in in-depth discussions with it on the training objectives, project topics, supervisor coordination, student selection, curriculum articulation, research training and two-way exchange of the Joint PhD Programme. Building on the existing cooperation foundation and disciplinary strengths of the two universities, both sides put forward constructive suggestions on further optimizing the joint training mechanism, expanding student exchange channels and promoting high-level research cooperation. The participating faculty members and students noted that Tsinghua University and the University of Manchester have a sound cooperation foundation and broad prospects for cooperation in electrical engineering, energy systems and related interdisciplinary fields. The Joint PhD Programme will help integrate the quality resources of the two universities, enhance the internationalization level of doctoral training, broaden the global vision of young talents, and promote deeper cooperation between the two sides in sustainable development, clean energy and new power systems.
At the exchange meeting
Zhang Ning and Sun Kai introduce Tsinghua University and DEE
Group photo of both sides
From August 31 to September 3, Sun Kai and Zhang Ning visited the University of Strathclyde and, on behalf of DEE, participated in the 3rd International Summer School on IBR-dominated Power Systems, which was initiated jointly by Tsinghua University and Imperial College London and hosted by the University of Strathclyde, delivering lectures to the summer school participants. They also conducted in-depth exchanges with Stephen McArthur, Principal of the University of Strathclyde and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University, together with more than 30 experts in the power and energy field from around the world and more than 80 summer school participants, further expanding and deepening DEE’s global cooperation network.
