Peking University, March 28, 2022: On March 24, 2022, the ceremony for conferring honorary professorship on Sir Jim MacDonald took place online at the second conference room of Yingjie Overseas Exchange Center, held by Peking University (PKU) and University of Strathclyde (UoS). The meeting was attended by Hao Ping, president of Peking University, Wang Bo, vice president of Peking University, and Sir Jim MacDonald, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) and president of University of Strathclyde. Xia Hongwei, director of PKU’s Office of International Relations, hosted the meeting.



Hao Ping said that the online conferring ceremony and bilateral conference was of great significance for further cooperation between Chinese and British universities on teaching and scientific research under the pandemic.  He also expressed the willingness of Peking University to promote further exchanges and cooperation with University of Strathclyde.
 

Wang Bo said that he was delighted to meet Sir Jim MacDonald online with president Hao Ping. He mentioned that since July 2020, where both sides discussed prospects for cooperation, Sir Jim MacDonald has been committed to developing the partnership between China and the UK especially in the field of engineering technology. In the past two years, numerous exchanges were conducted between PKU’s College of Engineering, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and UOS’s Faculty of Engineering and Center for Sustainable Development. In 2021, the two universities set up a working committee and a working group in the field of decarbonization and sustainable development, laying a solid foundation for further tripartite exchanges and cooperation between PKU, UoS and RAE.


Wang Bo pointed out that to honor Sir Jim MacDonald’s recognized academic prestige in the fields of energy & power and his significant contributions to promoting cooperation between China and the UK, PKU decided to confer the title of “Honorary Professor of Peking University” on him.


Sir Jim expressed his gratitude towards Peking University for the honorary title. He is glad to maintain the close contact with PKU, and looks forward to conducting high-quality research in areas like zero-carbon emissions and climate change in view of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and cultivate outstanding scholars.


Hao Ping and Sir Jim signed the memorandum of cooperation between the two universities on behalf of Peking University and University of Strathclyde respectively. In the future, the two universities will cooperate with the RAE to carry out joint scientific research and training programs in the fields of engineering, carbon neutralization, sustainable development, and digital humanities.


During the meeting, PKU and UoS also discussed the implementation details of the memorandum and the next stage for cooperative planning. The two universities are determined to deal with the global challenges of sustainable development through more extensive joint cooperation projects.

Written by: Fu Jiaqi
Edited by: Li Wanqi
Source: PKU News (Chinese)