Since joining Tsinghua University in early 2007, Zhang Jindan has successively worked in international talent cultivation and international communications. For the past seven years, she has been dedicated full-time to graduate academic affairs administration in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Guided by the principle of wholeheartedly serving faculty members and students, she has focused on academic administration, the high-quality cultivation of Engineering Doctor (Eng.D.) students, and international cooperation and exchange, carrying out her responsibilities with professionalism, diligence, warmth, and meticulous attention to detail. She has received numerous honors, including the Advanced Individual in Education and Training at Tsinghua University, Advanced Individual in Publicity and Ideological Work at Tsinghua University, Outstanding Graduate Academic Affairs Administrator at Tsinghua University, and the 2025 Tsinghua University Dedication to Duty Award.

Zhang Jindan

Coordinating Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Affairs

Working Together to Support High-Quality Education

The Department of Electrical Engineering has approximately 650 graduate students. Behind this seemingly simple figure lies an enormous workload. From student orientation, course scheduling and registration, curriculum revision, and quality management to key stages of graduate education—including doctoral qualification examinations, dissertation proposal reviews, mid-term evaluations, professional practice, and government-sponsored overseas study—Zhang Jindan has an exceptional command of every schedule and assessment requirement, ensuring that each stage proceeds with precision. Academic administration is intricate and demanding, requiring both meticulous attention to detail and the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. Through her strong professional competence, she has provided reliable support for the Department’s graduate education.

Beginning in the Fall Semester of 2025, Zhang Jindan also assumed responsibility for undergraduate education and teaching quality management for 280 undergraduate students in the Department. To ensure the efficient implementation of these responsibilities, she rapidly mastered the undergraduate training curriculum, thoroughly studied the curricular structures of both the Department and the residential colleges, completed applications for eight high-quality courses, arranged 116 undergraduate courses, promoted AI integration for 28 courses, and assisted in the application of 11 undergraduate teaching reform projects, contributing significantly to the smooth transition and effective integration of undergraduate disciplinary courses into the residential college system. Despite the pressure of simultaneously managing undergraduate and graduate academic affairs, she has successfully balanced both responsibilities, overcoming challenges to ensure the high-quality operation of talent cultivation at both levels.

Building Platforms for Academic Exchange

Serving Wholeheartedly to Enhance Educational Quality

Since the end of 2020, the Department of Electrical Engineering has established the Engineering Doctor Forum as an academic exchange platform to showcase the achievements of part-time Engineering Doctor students and stimulate innovative thinking. Over more than five years, Zhang Jindan has planned and organized 19 forum sessions held in more than ten cities, attracting a cumulative total of more than 670 Engineering Doctor participants, over 170 faculty advisors, 38 expert presentations, 90 Engineering Doctor presentations, and 30 featured technical visits, making significant contributions to the steady improvement of the Department’s Engineering Doctor education. From 2023 to 2025, she served as a principal member of the graduate education reform project entitled "Clarifying Positioning, Highlighting Distinctive Features, and Enhancing the Effectiveness of Engineering Doctor Education." Dedicated to developing a distinctive Engineering Doctor training model, she organized eight forum sessions, participated in formulating three implementation guidelines and six professional degree training programs, established an evaluation expert database consisting of 81 members, served as class advisor for Engineering Doctor students, rigorously monitored every stage of the training process, and assisted 13 Engineering Doctor students in successfully completing their degrees. Upon completion, the education reform project received an Excellent evaluation from all five external reviewers.

The Fifteenth Tsinghua University Department of Electrical Engineering Engineering Doctor Forum

Openness, Integration, and Steady Progress

Advancing International Talent Cultivation

As the internationalization of graduate education continues to deepen, broadening students’ global perspectives and enhancing their international competence have become important objectives of graduate education in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Guided by a philosophy of openness and inclusiveness, Zhang Jindan has actively promoted international exchange opportunities for graduate students.

Since 2019, under the leadership of the Department’s academic affairs supervisors, she has organized the China–Italy Advanced Manufacturing Summer School for eight consecutive years in collaboration with the University of Naples and the University of Bergamo in Italy. The program has invited 70 leading scholars in advanced manufacturing to share cutting-edge technologies and has attracted more than 400 students from over 50 universities in China and abroad. She has also participated in the planning and implementation of the Future Energy Summer School and the Summer School on Operation and Control of Power-Electronics-Dominated Power Systems, the latter of which was recognized as an Outstanding International Summer School Program of 2025. These initiatives have effectively broadened students’ international perspectives and further advanced the Department’s international talent cultivation.

The Seventh China–Italy Advanced Manufacturing Summer School

Nineteen years of unwavering commitment and seven years of dedicated service on the front line of academic administration have enabled Zhang Jindan to achieve outstanding results through professionalism, dedication, and perseverance. Her work exemplifies the commitment, responsibility, and mission of Tsinghua University’s academic affairs professionals.

About the “Faculty and Student Spotlight” Series

The Department of Electrical Engineering continues to improve its long-term mechanism for identifying and promoting exemplary faculty members, students, and alumni. Through in-depth reporting on the achievements and inspiring stories of current and retired faculty, outstanding students, and distinguished alumni, the series highlights role models, tells the stories of the Department, promotes exemplary values, strengthens collective cohesion, and comprehensively showcases the dedication, professionalism, and enterprising spirit of the Department’s faculty, students, and alumni.