From March 4 to 6, 2026, José Rodríguez, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University and Member of the Chilean Academy of Engineering, visited the Department of Electrical Engineering. During his visit, Professor Rodríguez delivered an academic lecture and a career development lecture on March 5 and March 6, respectively. The lectures were chaired by Professor Li Yongdong. Sun Kai, Deputy Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering, along with more than 50 faculty members and students from both Tsinghua University and other institutions, attended the events.

Academic Lecture: Focus on Model Predictive Control and Energy Transition

On March 5, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, the academic lecture was held at the Department of Electrical Engineering. Professor Li Yongdong first introduced the guests. Sun Kai, Deputy Dean of the Department, delivered a welcome address, extending a warm welcome to Professor Rodríguez and thanking him for his long-standing support to the department’s disciplinary development and talent cultivation, while expressing the hope for further strengthened exchanges and collaboration. Professor Rodríguez expressed his great honor to visit the department as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University. He then delivered two academic reports, titled “Model Predictive Control: Basic Concepts, Applications, Progress, and Challenges” and “Energy Transition Toward a Sustainable World: The Key Role of Power Electronics.” In his reports, Professor Rodríguez systematically explained the fundamental theoretical framework and practical application scenarios of model predictive control technology. He also provided an in-depth analysis of global energy transition trends, emphasizing the pivotal role of power electronics in achieving sustainable development goals.

Career Development Lecture: Sharing Research Experience and Career Planning

On March 6, from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Professor Rodríguez held a career development lecture. Drawing on his many years of research and teaching experience, he shared with the attending faculty and students effective approaches to conducting academic research and writing high-quality scholarly papers, and offered advice on how to strategically plan one’s career. During the interactive session, Professor Rodríguez provided detailed answers to practical questions raised by the audience regarding research and career planning.

Biography of Professor José Rodríguez

José Rodríguez is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University, a Member of the Chilean Academy of Engineering, and an IEEE Life Fellow. He has dedicated his research to high-performance control of electric drive systems and control of renewable energy converter systems, with a particular focus on pioneering and innovative research in model predictive control for over two decades. To date, Professor Rodríguez has published over 1,000 academic papers, more than 400 of which have appeared in leading international journals. His total citation count exceeds 100,000, and his H-index is 120. He is the only scholar in South America to have been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for 11 consecutive years from 2014 to 2024. In 2014, he received the National Award for Applied and Technological Sciences from the Chilean government. In 2015, he received the Dr. Eugene Mittelman Achievement Award from the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society. In 2014 and 2015, he was named a “World’s Most Influential Scientific Mind” by Thomson Reuters, the only researcher from Chile to receive this recognition. He has won the Best Paper Award from IEEE journals seven times. In 2025, he was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tsinghua University. In 2026, he received the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award — the highest honor in the field of power electronics.