On August 27, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) of Tsinghua University held an International Strategic Consultation Seminar on Discipline Development. Sixteen international consulting experts attended, including Dushan Boroyevich (Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering), Mark O’Malley (Foreign Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering), Nikos Hatziargyriou (Member of the Hellenic Academy of Sciences), Goran Strbac (Head of the Power and Energy Systems Department, Imperial College London), Mahmoud Fotuhi-Firuzabad (Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid), Ross Baldick (University of Texas at Austin), Balarko Chaudhuri (Imperial College London), Pierluigi Mancarella (University of Melbourne), and Lay Kee Ang (Deputy President, Singapore University of Technology and Design). Representatives from Tsinghua University included Executive Vice President Zeng Rong, Vice Dean of the Graduate School Xiao Xi, Deputy Director of the Discipline Planning and Construction Office Lei Huan, EEA Dean Kang Chongqing, Party Secretary Zheng Zedong, Academic Committee Chair He Jinliang, Degree Subcommittee Chair Shen Chen, Teaching Committee Chair Zhu Guiping, and over 30 faculty members. The meeting was chaired by Zheng Zedong.

At the Seminar

Zheng Zedong Chairing the Meeting

Zeng Rong, representing Tsinghua University, delivered a speech emphasizing that the low-carbon transformation of the power and energy sector is one of the major global challenges today, and that Tsinghua attaches great importance to the development of related disciplines such as electrical engineering. He introduced the university’s discipline development status and expressed gratitude to the international experts for attending the seminar, inviting them to provide guidance and recommendations for the development of Tsinghua’s electrical engineering discipline.

Sun Kai, Deputy Dean of EEA, presented a report on the discipline development of the Department of Electrical Engineering. The report systematically reviewed the department’s history, organizational structure, faculty, research, talent cultivation, social services, and international cooperation. It highlighted that under the guidance of China’s 2035 long-term national goals and Tsinghua University’s 2030 high-level talent training plan, 2030 Innovation Action Plan, and 2030 Global Strategy, the department has set a goal to strive to rank among the world’s top disciplines by 2030.

Sun Kai Presenting the EEA’s Discipline Development Report

During the discussion session, the international experts highly praised the department’s innovative achievements and high-level talent cultivation. They provided a series of constructive recommendations covering various aspects of discipline development. Regarding research layout, experts suggested optimizing the organizational structure, encouraging research teams to focus on core areas, and enhancing coordination and collaboration on research themes. In terms of faculty, they recommended innovative measures to attract outstanding international scholars to join the department and elevate its global standing. For talent cultivation, experts advised developing long-term, comprehensive international training programs to attract top talents at undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels worldwide, and to offer problem-driven teaching courses. On international cooperation, experts encouraged expanding research areas and collaboration through platforms such as the Tsinghua-Imperial College Joint Research Center and strengthening the link between research and talent cultivation. All experts also recommended integrating AI with electrical engineering research and education to support high-level academic research and innovative talent development.

Discussion Session with Experts

Lei Huan, Deputy Director of the Discipline Planning and Construction Office, remarked that the Department of Electrical Engineering has a profound historical foundation and abundant achievements, with electrical engineering being one of Tsinghua University’s strongest disciplines. He emphasized that implementing key development initiatives, further improving talent cultivation, refining signature achievements, expanding international influence, and maintaining leadership in the discipline are crucial tasks for the next five years.

Lei Huan Speaking

In the closing session, Kang Chongqing, on behalf of the department, expressed sincere gratitude to all the experts and responded to their evaluations and suggestions from five dimensions: faculty, student training, research, international cooperation, and AI empowerment. He highlighted the department’s 93-year illustrious history and its progression toward the centennial goal. Kang emphasized that faculty and students will continue to uphold the department motto, “Strict in Learning, Upright in Behaving,” carefully consider the experts’ development recommendations, continuously strengthen discipline construction, and work tirelessly to strive for a world-class discipline ranking by 2030.

Kang Chongqing Delivering the Closing Remarks

This international strategic consultation seminar gathered global expertise, providing guidance for the department in key areas such as faculty development, research innovation, talent cultivation, and international cooperation. It is expected to significantly advance the continuous growth and elevation of the Department of Electrical Engineering’s discipline construction.

Group Photo of the Seminar