On the afternoon of May 29, Professor Zhu Ziqiang, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the United Kingdom and a professor at the University of Sheffield, was invited to the “Jingde Forum” of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA), Tsinghua University. Under the title of “Innovation via Industry Cooperation in Electrical Engineering — Opportunities & Challenges”, he shared his years of experience and thoughts on deep cooperation and technological innovation with industrial enterprises in the lecture hall 3-217 of the West Main Building. More than 100 people, including Dean Kang Chongqing, Deputy Dean Yu Zhanqing, Assistant Dean Sun Kai, Professor Li Yongdong, Professor Dong Xinzhou, teachers, students and enterprise executives from both inside and outside the university participated in this event.

The event was hosted by Deputy Dean Yu Zhanqing of EEA. First, Professor Kang Chongqing, Dean of EEA, introduced the background and purpose of the Jingde Forum, and introduced Professor Zhu Ziqiang to the teachers, students, and guests present. Professor Kang specifically mentioned that Professor Zhu Ziqiang has been engaged in scientific research and talent cultivation in the field of electric motors and drive systems for a long time. So far, he has trained 99 doctoral graduates, more than 50 of whom are working in China, and he has made important contributions to the cultivation of innovation talents in the field of electrical engineering in China.

Subsequently, Professor Kang Chongqing granted Professor Zhu Ziqiang the commemorative certificate and commemorative medal for Jingde Forum on behalf of the EEA before the formal beginning of Professor Zhu’s lecture.

Professor Zhu Ziqiang first deeply recalled his supervisor Xu Dazhong’s experience of studying abroad with Mr. Gao Jingde in the former Soviet Union, and deeply mourned the outstanding contributions of Mr. Gao, Mr. Xu and other senior scholars to the discipline of electrical engineering.

In his lecture, Professor Zhu Ziqiang emphasized that electrical engineering is a key discipline in the global net-zero circular economy. He introduced the innovative achievements of his research team in electrical machinery and drive systems at the University of Sheffield, which have been widely applied in industries such as aerospace, aviation, electric vehicles, wind power generation, household appliances and industrial automation through deep cooperation with enterprises.

Professor Zhu Ziqiang detailed some practical cases of collaborative research and development between the University of Sheffield and international renowned companies such as Siemens, Toyota, Dyson, as well as Chinese leading enterprises like CRRC and Midea, illustrating how to build a bridge between fundamental research and industrial applications, thus promoting the coordinated development of technology and industry.

After the report, Professor Li Yongdong presided over the exchange session between Professor Zhu Ziqiang and the audience on site. The teachers and graduate students on site actively asked questions about hot issues such as the means of cooperation with enterprises and future trends in technological development, and Professor Zhu Ziqiang gave detailed and in-depth answers. Finally, Professor Zhu Ziqiang took a group photo with the audience present, and the event ended successfully.

About the guest lecturer

Zhu Ziqiang, Professor at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Foreign Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, IEEE Fellow, IET Fellow, Editor-in-Chief of IET EPA. He is mainly engaged in research on electric machinery and drive systems, serving as the Chairman of Royal Academy of Engineering, and Director of several research centers including Siemens, Midea, CRRC, and the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center. He is the recipient of the 2021 IEEE Nikola Tesla Technical Field Award and the 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award of IEEE Industrial Applications Society.

About the Jingde Forum

Mr. Gao Jingde is a famous expert on power engineering, outstanding educator, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (academician), former president of Tsinghua University, founder of the State Key Laboratory of Power System and Large-scale Power Generation Equipment Safety Control and Simulation, and an IEEE Fellow.

Jingde Forum was established to promote the fine traditions of the Department of Electrical Engineering, commemorate a large number of outstanding predecessors represented by President Gao Jingde, and inherit their spirit of rigorous scholarship and bold innovation. The guests invited are mainly influential high-level experts and scholars in the fields of electrical engineering, energy, higher education and other related areas at home and abroad. The lecture topics include progress in frontier technology, major strategic planning, talent development models and innovative educational concepts.